Concrete Boy
by My-Fair-Lady45
Summary: Naruto is bubbly and happy; at least that is what his friends think. Only Naruto knows what goes on at home, and he'd like to keep it that way. However, someone has taken notice of the lies and is on a mission to find out the truth. Can Naruto hide the bruises until it is too late? Will he become nothing more than a body beneath a concrete angel? Yaoi, SasuNaru - rated M for abuse
1. 10 Miles Is Not That Far

**Ta-Da! I had the sudden urge to write another story. Crazy, I know. I am already having enough issues remembering to write chapters for the other two, but I will manage! (I hope...)**

**Anyways, this story is a bit...dark, descriptive, hence the rating. Also, it is yaoi. SasuNaru will be the main pairing and I may decide to add others later. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Naruto _nor any of the characters from the series. All such things belong to the genius behind it all. **

**Now, please enjoy! **

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The sky was barely starting to lighten when blue eyes flickered open and glanced around the dark room in fear. The blond-haired owner of the eyes rolled off his bed and limped across the room, picking up discarded clothing along the way. The torn and bloodied clothing was quickly discarded in a black plastic bag in the corner and he rummaged through his dresser for fresh, rip-free clothing. Once his arms were full of his outfit choice for the day, he set his hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath. After listening for any movement in the house and hearing nothing, the boy opened the door slowly and then moved as quickly as he could across the hall into the bathroom.

Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he swiftly left the bathroom minutes later. He hurriedly tip-toed down the steps and grabbed the pre-packed lunch from the kitchen counter. The blond boy made it to the door just in time to hear someone curse in a room above. His eyes widened and he quietly slipped outside, shutting the door silently behind him. He went down the porch steps and walked to the sidewalk, where he turned and stared at the peaceful home behind him. To the outside world, the house seemed like a haven, but to the inhabitants, it was hell.

Clenching his jaw, he turned away and made his way down the sidewalk. The limp that he had before he left the house was gone and he walked smoothly across the concrete. His expression was blank and gave no clues to how he truly felt. With each step, his nerves alerted his brain of the intense pain coming from his left leg, right shoulder, and abdomen. It took 20,000 steps to reach his destination. 20,000 steps that he took each school day.

As he approached the closed school gates, a goofy grin came to his face. He stood in front of the gates and waited for a teacher to appear and let him in. Ten minutes later, one of the front doors creaked open and a brown-haired man walked out. The boy raised a hand in greeting and shouted, "Iruka-sensei!"

The teacher smiled and quickly came to the gate, opening it for the blond student. "Here early as usual, Naruto. How are you today?" The boy's grin grew wider, "Ready to learn and pummel Uchiha at English." Iruka laughed and ushered the boy into the school. The boy laughed along with the older man and joked all the way to Iruka's classroom, where he settled into a chair next to the window as Iruka prepared for the day.

Naruto, as the boy was called, gazed at the sky for a moment. The sunshine burned his retinas, but the blond didn't care. Today was another day in hell, but the sun had never caused him any harm, so he paid its rays no mind. Letting a gentle sigh slip past his lips, Naruto opened his backpack and took out a tattered book. Opening it to page 125 as if it was a precious artifact, he began to read. He slipped into the world of a Russian prisoner and easily ignored the sounds of students arriving. The gates outside creaked open, the front doors and lockers were slammed open and closed, people chattered away, but Naruto ignored it all. Only when other students started to file into the room did Naruto leave the world his mind was in and slip the book into his bag. He folded his hands on top of his desk and waited for the bell to ring, signaling the beginning of the school day.

He replied to Iruka's question of attendance with an exuberant, "Naruto Uzumaki, in the flesh!" The classroom filled with laughter and groans before the day continued on. He talked with his supposed friends like there wasn't a care in the world besides eating ramen for every meal and beating the Uchiha, pretending he cared about such things. He laughed at Lee's jokes, he smiled at Sakura's comments, and he showed off his orange clothing with a grin, pretending that he meant it. Naruto complained with his friends about how Kakashi-sensei was always late for everything, even his own class, pretending that he didn't want the teacher to be late so it would make the day be longer. He arm-wrestled with Kiba, using his right arm, pretending it didn't hurt. He raced to beat Kiba to science class, pretending he could use his leg just fine. He punched Kiba in the arm, using his right fist, because the dog boy was being a jerk, Naruto pretending he was tough. He took a beating from Sakura when he flirted shamelessly with her during lunch, pretending that it didn't scare him when a fist came at him. He ran to English to get there before the Uchiha, and he succeeded. He passed his assignment with flying colors and stuck his tongue out at the Uchiha in triumph. He laughed at the glare he received and tried to keep the smile off his lips.

Naruto left last period with Kiba, Lee, Shikamaru, Choji, and Sakura, grinning like a mad man. "I beat that teme soundly today!" He said proudly. His friends rolled their eyes and a few laughed.

"Of course you did, Naruto. You are a whiz at English, unlike dog boy over there who can't tell the difference between a period and a comma." Sakura replied, giggling as Kiba's face reddened. "That is not true! I CAN tell the difference!"

"What is the difference?" Shikamaru muttered, staring at the boy with red tattoos on his cheeks. Even he could not stop himself from smiling slightly at the reply he received. Kiba sputtered, "T-There's...There's...A...Uh...Yeah...Um...Ah..." He scratched his head and went into deep thought, still sputtering.

Naruto patted his friend on the back, "Don't strain that brain of yours, Kiba. We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." He winced when an elbow hit him in the abdomen and then started laughing along with Kiba and the others. As they descended the school steps and started for the gates, Naruto was aware of eyes watching him. He did not look for the owner of said eyes, thinking it was Iruka watching him leave, as the teacher often did. It was no secret that Naruto was Iruka's favorite student and the two had a close relationship, at least in other people's eyes. However, the eyes that were on Naruto today were not those of a teacher, but rather a raven-haired student.

Oblivious to this fact, Naruto and his friends left the school grounds, leaving a wave of laughter in their wake. Each went their own way and Naruto started his return trek of 20,000 steps. With each step, he could feel his mask slipping. The stress of putting his pained body through motion was making the pain worse. Clenching his teeth, Naruto continued going, knowing that if he stopped now, it would be twice as bad when he started moving again. Each time he saw someone, his mask would return in full force and any traces of pain that had slipped through disappeared. Each person smiled and greeted him kindly, and never questioned his seemingly truthful replies to how he was doing.

As he climbed the porch steps to hell, Naruto waved a neighbor with a smile and was not surprised to receive a kind response. He entered the home and walked up the steps to his room, where he locked himself in and collapsed on his bed. He fished inside his backpack until he found a bottle of pills and a water bottle. He took a few pain pills with some water before replacing the items safely in his bag. He heaved himself off the bed and changed into dreary clothing that consisted of a grey t-shirt and black pants. Any bright colors would make the demon angry.

Settling back on the bed, Naruto tried to get some sleep before his father came home. Today was a Monday and his father would come early. The anger would not start till later, if today was a good Monday, but the lashing out should not start until Friday, when work was over and the drinking began. Today would be a verbal day, not a physical day, most likely, unless...unless...As if on cue, Naruto heard the front door open and close, just before he heard the shouts. They went on for what seemed forever before he heard his mother cry and plead before she screamed. Naruto stared blankly at his door, knowing that soon, he would come through it. There was no stopping it and there was no way he could escape it.

As footsteps thudded up the steps, Naruto waited. _1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9..._ The door shot open on the count of ten and in the doorway, stood a very angry man. Naruto sat up and stared calmly at the man, though on the inside, he was shaking like a leaf. The man advanced and Naruto shut his eyes as the shouts filled the room. He picked off the bed by strong hands fisting his shirt. He was dropped on the ground with a thud and a boot was slammed into the same spot a table had been jammed against the night before. Naruto tried to bite back a cry, but failed and a scream left him as he felt what had to be his ribs cracking.

The beating continued, but Naruto only felt the numbing pain from his abdomen. When it was over and the furious demon had left his room, Naruto blinked slowly and tried to clear the fog gathering in his mind. His slow heart beat was all he could hear and he wondered vaguely if he was dying. The thought brought a faint smile to his lips, though it quickly faded as he slipped out of consciousness.

When he awoke, the sky was still dark and the glaring red numbers of the clock read 3:40am. Struggling to his feet while clutching his throbbing chest, Naruto muffled his cries by biting his lip hard enough to make it bleed. He barely managed to change his clothing without screaming and as he trudged down the steps, Naruto's vision swam. Clutching the railing, he stayed still until his head and vision cleared. Limping into the kitchen, Naruto grabbed the brown paper bag waiting for him on the edge of the counter and slipped it inside his backpack. He walked to the front door and then outside, all the while forcing himself to stay upright and not sway as he walked.

He paused at the end of the stone walkway that led to the front porch before he continued forward. He would not look back today, it hurt to move his body that way and he was not going to hurt himself to look back at the hell he was forced to call home. He grimaced and then took a shallow breath, finding it hard to breath deeply without searing pain. He wondered how much damage that boot had done, though he would never know, as he wasn't permitted to go to the hospital. He hated hospitals, so his father did not have to enforce the rule of no hospitals. Besides, if he went, they would...Naruto bit his lip, wincing at the tenderness. This was not the time to think about it. It was time to start his trek to school. Naruto stepped on the sidewalk and allowed himself to smile grimly. 10 miles is not that far, right?

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**If I have the energy, I shall write Chapter 2 within the month. Please Read and Review! Thank you. :) **


	2. I Hope I Don't Wake Up

**...Wow...I never expected such a response. I can't express how happy and excited I am by this. Thank you, every one! : ) I will try to keep up the 'good work' as some of you put it. ****I hope this second chapter lives up to expectations. This was written and proofed in one setting, so I apologize for any mistakes. I know my chapters are not that long so far, but I hope to increase the length as I go along. ****I would like to say that a few characters might be a bit OC. Naruto is the main one, but Sasuke might be like that when I get around to bringing him into the story. I think I should state that there will be eventual yaoi, SasuNaru sweetness, etc. **

** Please enjoy!**

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Getting to school was more difficult than usual. His vision swam about every 100 steps and the pain was almost too much. The beatings had been bad before, but his father had only ever broken a couple of bones once. Naruto quickly pushed thoughts of that beating out of his mind before he threw up. The pain he was in now was nothing compared to what he had to endure then, but somehow he felt ten times worse. Gingerly touching his bruising face, Naruto winced. He wondered how bad he looked. He had not gotten the chance to glance in a mirror to check the state of facial damage. By the way his face felt, he figured he at least had a black eye and some major bruising around the jaw and cheek bones. Any bruising beyond that was hidden beneath his orange hooded sweatshirt, orange t-shirt, and dark blue-jeans.

As if to answer his question about how bad he appeared, a woman stopped walking to her car and stared at him in shock. Naruto kept on walking, even as the woman came out of her stupor and shouted after him worriedly. Eventually she would give up and decide he was just another idiotic teenager that had gotten into a fight. The woman's shouts ceased and he was relieved by the quiet. Though, as he approached the school, his quiet was quickly shattered.

His eyes widened as he watched a few students walk into the school. Horror washed over him when he looked at the clock hanging on the school. He was not as early as usual. In fact, he was almost on time. The buses would start arriving in a matter of minutes. Quickly brushing his bangs in front of his face to try and hide the bruising, though he did not know the placement of the darkening skin, Naruto cursed inwardly. Pulling his hood as far over his head as he could, Naruto walked onto school grounds. He wanted to hurry, but was afraid that if he walked any faster, he would black out.

His nervous tongue flicked out and caressed his now fat lip before it darted back inside his mouth. He ignored the strange looks he received from the other students he passed as he walked through the halls and towards Iruka-sensei's classroom. He paused beside the door and stole a look inside, feeling like a child for doing so. His eyes found the brown-haired teacher standing by his desk, tapping the wood nervously. Naruto swallowed hard at the worried expression his teacher wore. The man was glancing between the clock, Naruto's desk, and the door. Naruto felt guilty as he slide into view and walked inside, keeping his eyes trained to the floor.

There was a pregnant pause before he heard Iruka-sensei's relieved exclamation, "Naruto, there you are!" The man started to talk rapidly as he walked towards Naruto, "Where have you been? I have been worried about you! Normally you are here early, and well, you have rarely broken that pattern..." Another pause, this time it was awkward. "Naruto...Are you alright? You seem..."

Naruto lifted his head and grinned at his teacher, "Sorry about that, Iruka-sensei! I fell out of bed today, literally, and then, being the klutz that I am, fell down the steps. My mom was super worried about me and was fussing over me, so that's why I wasn't here at the normal time." He rubbed the back of his head and his smile grew sheepish.

Iruka raised an eyebrow and then relaxed, smiling in return. "Ah, well, I am glad that you are alright. Now get to your seat before the others come. Hurry, hurry." He chuckled softly as he sat down behind his desk.

Naruto turned away and walked to his own desk, but did not hurry as requested. He forced himself to keep his mask on as he slid into his chair. He resisted the urge to clutch his chest and groan. He wanted to take some pain medicine, but knew better than to do so in front of someone. He took a small breath, not wanting to cause his injury to hurt more by taking a deep one, and pulled out his book. Opening it to page 138, Naruto tried to read, but found it hard to focus on the small print. He pretended to read, however, so he would not raise suspicion. Being late was one thing, changing his entire routine was another. The routine was what protected him and he needed to keep it intact.

When students filed into the room, Naruto put the book away and folded his hands on his desk. His gaze was focused on Iruka-sensei, but his attention was on trying to keep his vision from swimming, which was a losing battle. He tried to pay more attention to what his teacher was saying, but found it hard to focus on the words pouring from the man's lips. He started to zone out, his vision graying at the edges. His eyelids lowered as the world blurred slightly.

"Uzumaki?" His eyes widened and his vision sharpened rapidly. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on him and he smiled, rubbing the back of his head again. "Sorry, here." He replied, acting sheepish. It was quiet for a moment before Iruka called the next student. For the rest of home-room Naruto swore he could feel someone watching him from the back of classroom, but he refused to search for the owner of the gaze, in fear of drawing more attention to himself than he already had.

The bell rang soon after and Naruto rose slowly from his chair. He avoided his teacher and left the classroom quietly. He sought out his friends in the hallway and moved towards them. He stopped short of them, however, when he saw their expressions. Worry was written over all of their faces, though Shikamaru looked more bored than worried. He let out a shaky breath and stepped into their circle, aware of their staring eyes. "What?" He finally questioned, glancing from person to person.

Sakura was the first to speak, "What is wrong?" She asked, her green eyes searching Naruto.

"Yeah man, Iruka called your name twice! You were in your own little world in there. What's up?" Kiba barked, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared down at the blond.  
"We are worried about your youthfulness! The power of youth has lessened in you today, has the sun died?" Lee piped up, gesturing widely as he spoke.  
Naruto rolled his eyes and laughed, "I'm fine. I didn't get much sleep last night, that's all. We've got new neighbors next door and they were being so loud! Ugh. Anyways, let's get to class before Yamato-sensei gives us the 'look'. I'd rather not have nightmares about his 'control by fear', thank you very much." He brushed past his friends and walked towards class, only to be stopped by a hand on his elbow. "Why are you wearing your hood up and why is your hair like that?" Sakura asked as her nails dug into his skin beneath the sweatshirt.

"Bad hair day." He pulled himself out of her grasp and continued on his way, his friends following shortly after in silence. Math class was even more difficult to sit through than home-room, but Naruto managed. He sat in his normal seat by the window and attempted to memorize formulas and equations. Yamato's long, drawn-out explanations on Naruto's least favorite subject normally made Naruto's brain explode, but today, his brain was too numb to take in the complicated math that the teacher was spewing out. Whether x minus y, divided by m, multiplied by q was equal to the squared root of z or not meant little to Naruto, especially in the state he was in. Yamato-sensei had asked him to explain a problem and he apparently had not realized it the first two times he was asked to do so. When he had finally realized he was being called on, he had stumbled terribly through the problem, but that had been normal. He was always bad at math.

The bell rang and they were allowed to move to their next class, thankfully. Each class meant he was closer to being able to leave and go to a park where he could rest peacefully for a few hours. Science went by just as math and home-room had, with Naruto finding it hard to not black out and having to be asked to a question several times before he realized someone was speaking to him. When lunch came and Naruto sat at a table with his friends, he was again greeted with worried gazes, and now even Shikamaru and Choji seemed concerned.

"Nothing is wrong. Like I said before, I didn't get much sleep. Let's just eat lunch." He muttered before looking at his food. His mother's simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich sat on a plate beside a pile of macaroni that Sakura had put there. The smell of the cafeteria food had never been very appetizing, but today it made his stomach churn. He swallowed hard and nudged some of the mac 'n cheese on his plate with a fork. On any other day he would have been glad that Sakura had shared some of the school's mac 'n cheese with him, as it was the only thing he liked, but today the smell made him nauseous. He glanced at the others and saw most of them were eating. He watched as food dribbled out of Kiba's mouth and he listened to the gross noises that came from both Kiba and Choji, due to their disgusting eating habits. Naruto suddenly didn't feel hungry any more and he set his fork down. Folding his hand on his lap, he lowered his head and shut his eyes. That was a mistake. The minute his eyes slid shut, his world started spinning. He forced his eyes back open and blinked them rapidly, trying to stop the blurred spinning.

His stomach started churning again while his pain level rose again. He had become numb to it over the past few hours, but the numbness was apparently wearing off. He stood and left the table without a word, not thinking about how the action might spike his friends' worry and curiosity. He left the cafeteria and went into the nearest bathroom, getting safely into a stall before his stomach threatened to empty its self. He did not latch the door before he got on his knees and leaned over the white porcelain basin. As he dry-heaved into the toilet, he noticed that there was a coppery tang amid the disgusting flavor of stomach acid. When the heaving finally stopped, Naruto stared into the basin with horror. There was red swirled throughout the otherwise white-yellow liquid. However, he had little time to think about the blood as searing pain went through his body. An unwanted whimper left his throat and he clutched his chest. Soft whimpered cries of pain escaped his lips before he could muffle them by biting his sore lip.

As his vision started to swim and darken at the edges, Naruto tried to fight against it, but he failed. The upper half of his body went limp and he slumped over the toilet, his legs curled beneath him. He did not hear the bathroom door open, or the calling of his name, or the hurried steps and frantic cries that followed. He did not see the unlatched stall door slam open. He did not feel Kiba gently picking him up and carrying him to the nurse's office. He did not see that Shikamaru glanced into the basin before flushing it and following after the others. He knew nothing beyond his last thought before he faded into unconsciousness, "_I hope I don't wake up."_

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**How was it? Please review and give me your thoughts. Any feedback is greatly appreciated and feeds the monster within me that writes these things. I hope to return quickly with Chapter 3.**


	3. I Hope He Gets There Too Late

**Thank you to everyone! The response to this story is amazing and is keeping my muse a-flowing. :) Chapter 3 has finally been completed. Guess what happens in this one? *drum roll* Sorry, I am not going to tell you. You'll have to figure it out by reading the chapter. Please enjoy!**

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Voices formed words and someone said his name. It was devil and his demons' speaking to him, he was dead. His lips turned upwards weakly at the thought. Eyelids fluttered, revealing straining blue orbs. A groan slipped from bruised lips as the blond struggled to wake up. The fluorescent lighting was harsh on his adjusting eyes and he blinked rapidly. He quickly realized that he was not dead, however, when the faces of his friends came into view. His smile faded and he stared blankly at the worried group huddled around his bed. "Welcome back to the world of the living, man." Naruto rolled his eyes. "Why am I in the nurses' office?" _Why I am not dead? _

"You threw up and fainted. You were out cold on the bathroom floor when the boys found you." Sakura replied, taking his hand gently. _That would have been a fitting place for me to die._ "What? I was on the floor of this school's bathroom? Oh, goodness, somebody burn my clothing!" He laughed; his friend's doing the same, though Naruto noticed Shikamaru not joining in. "By the way, where did those bruises come from?" Sakura questioned.

Naruto realized with hidden surprise and horror that his hood was down and his hair was out of his face. He chuckled and spoke in sheepish tone, "Took a bad fall down the stairs today after falling out of bed and hitting my eye on my nightstand."  
"Not a bad hair day, then?" Sakura replied, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms.  
"Hey, I didn't take a shower this morning because my mom took too long fussing over me!" He stuck his tongue out while making an offended face that made Lee and Kiba laugh while Sakura hit him on the head. He groaned and clutched his head. He was about to begin complaining about friend abuse when the nurse walked in and the room grew quiet. "How is our youthful friend? Will he survive to dance to the ends of youthfulness?" Lee asked frantically.

"Yes, he just needs more sleep, no cafeteria food, and some ice for those bruises. He can rest in here till the end of the school day. Here are notes excusing him from class for the teachers. " The nurse smiled and then handed the notes to Sakura. "Now all of you get to class." She chuckled warmly and waved them away as she gave Naruto ice to put on his face. The presence of Naruto and his friends was a normal occurence in the nurses' office, so she had grown to like them and expect their presence at least twice a week. The nurse walked to the other side of the curtain hanging beside Naruto's bed and spoke in low tones before leaving the room, not noticing that Shikamaru was still lingering.

Closing his eyes as the door shut, Naruto put the ice to his forehead and groaned. His entire body ached, though his stomach was, thankfully no longer churning. He needed something to relieve the pain, and for that he needed his backpack. Opening his eyes, Naruto glanced beyond his feet where he saw said bag hanging on the edge of the bed. He sat up to reach for it, biting his sore lip to hold back a cry of pain as he moved his chest muscles. A hand grabbed the backpack and dropped it in his lap, thoroughly surprising him. He looked up at the owner of the hand and tried desperately to put his mask on before the boy noticed. Shikamaru could not find out. Hiding the truth from the smartest guy in the school was hard enough, but add-on the fact that Shikamaru was a close friend as well, and it was a miracle that he had managed to fake things so long.

"You aren't saying everything. You never do. What is really going on, Naruto?" The normally bored man was unusually serious. Naruto lowered his gaze and shook his head. "You're wrong. You are just imagining things, Shika."  
"Imagining blood in your puke? Imagining the pain that you have been hiding?"

"I must have taken a worse fall than I thought..."  
"Naruto, you're clumsy, but not that clumsy. You have better reflexes than you let on." Shikamaru crossed his arms while Naruto avoided his gaze. "Lift up your shirt." Naruto's head snapped up and his eyes widened, "What?! You weird pervert, there is no way I'm doing that!"

"Naruto, lift up your shirt." Shikamaru repeated, his eyes and tone growing dangerously stern. Naruto swallowed hard, knowing there was no way out of it now. Lifting his shit slowly and ignoring the pain the best he could, Naruto looked at the floor as he heard the slight intake of breath from the boy in front of him. "What is that?"  
"A bad bruise from my fall, like I said, I must have fallen worse than I thought." "Then why are there boot prints in the bruise, Naruto?" Shikamaru questioned, his voice grave and barely above a whisper.  
Naruto's mind frantically thought of a lie that would convince his friend. "Oh that...Well, you know how I'm not very liked around school? The football team might have gotten the better of me yesterday."  
Shikamaru did not answer vocally, only nodded slightly and turned away. Naruto's brow furrowed and he lowered his shirt. His friend was not one to question others or to engage in conversation, so the fact that Shikamaru had was odd. Naruto sucked the middle of his bottom lip between his teeth. He would have to wait and hope that it all blew over and was forgotten.

Naruto dug through his pack and grabbed the bottle of painkillers. He opened the child-proof cap and took out two pills, popping them into his mouth. Laying back on the pillows with a groan, Naruto allowed himself a grim smile. With the extra rest, he was confident he would recover quickly, though he had always been a fast healer.

The rustling of the curtain separator alerted Naruto to another presence in the room. Turning his head, he took in the pale hand resting on the fabric. Following the hand up the dark-clothed, well-muscled arm to the pale, angled face, Naruto swallowed hard as his eyes met obsidian pools. _What is he doing here? _Naruto's eyes narrowed at the sight of the man who made his blood boil...Sasuke Uchiha. "What do you want?" Naruto growled out, unhappy that his rival saw him in such a state. "Nothing in particular." The young Uchiha smirked and then rested his elbows on his knees while folding his hands and placing his chin upon them, a classic Uchiha position. Naruto glared, "You expect me to believe that?"

"I do not expect you to believe me, as that would require you to use that pea you call a brain."

Naruto clenched his fists and took a deep breath. "Whose brain are you calling a pea? I beat you in English soundly today! Just because you are a spoiled brat who thinks he is better than anyone does not mean that your brain is bigger than a pea." Naruto snapped, unable to refrain from continuing the argument.

"Hn." The smirk was becoming wider by the second. "See, that proves it! If one can not come up with a better reply than a grunt, one has a pea-sized brain." Naruto replied, gesturing with his arms while he spoke.

There was a few moments of silence before Sasuke spoke, "To answer your question, usuratonkachi, I was sleeping. Your obnoxious friends woke me up." Naruto glanced out the window to see if the sky was falling. When the sky stayed where it belonged and no pigs flew past the window, Naruto turned to Sasuke with a surprised expression. Why was everyone acting strangely towards him today? Naruto studied the raven before turning away. "They are loud..." He mumbled as he stared at the melting pack of ice in his lap. He felt eyes on him and it made him uncomfortable. His hands started to tremble, and they would not stop no matter what he did. He was oddly nervous and he disliked it. Being nervous around his self-declared rival was unforgivable. He was not supposed to show weakness around the Uchiha. Did the other boy know something? How much had Sasuke overheard? It was embarrassing to think that his rival had been a curtain away when he had 'confessed' to being beat up by a bunch of brainless fools.

Naruto drew together what little courage he had and glanced up. He faltered under the unwavering gaze. Looking away again, Naruto broke the silence, "Something on my face, teme?" The silence fell around them again and Naruto felt himself start to sweat. "Your spiky haired friend seemed concerned."  
Naruto licked his lips nervously. "He is a worry-wort."  
"Is it true you got beat up by half-witted jocks?"  
The statement was calm and the tone was steady. He was not being mocked, but Naruto reacted nonetheless. "Yeah, so what? You want to join in? You want to prove to me that I am an idiot?"

A snort came from the other boy, who covered his mouth with his hand. "No, I have already proved my point." Naruto went to leap off the bed and tackle the Uchiha, but cried out in pain when he jerked his body forward. Falling back on the bed, Naruto clutched his chest and moaned. The blinding pain caused him to forget the other presence in the room. When the pain had dulled and Naruto could sit up, albeit slowly, he remembered Sasuke was still in the room. With hidden fear, Naruto turned his gaze from the ceiling to the raven. The faint concern he saw in the dark eyes surprised and angered him. Pulling himself off the bed, he took a few steps in an attempt to get away. His legs decided not to cooperate and his knees buckled, causing him to take a staggering fall towards the hard floor. Bracing himself for impact, he shielded his head and gritted his teeth.

However, the impact never came and he felt himself being lifted and placed on a soft surface, the bed presumably. Naruto opened his eyes hurriedly and stared at the boy placing him back on the bed. "Let me go, I don't need your help or your pity!" He thrashed slightly as Sasuke moved away from him. "Let me see it." Naruto shook his head and loosely wrapped his arms around himself. Sasuke's facial muscles tightened and the raven frowned. Naruto swallowed hard and curled away from him. Sasuke grabbed his arms and pulled them apart, though not without some struggle as Naruto fought to keep his arms where they were. Naruto struggled as his arms were pinned above his head with one large hand. He studied Sasuke with a confused expression until the man jabbed his bruise with two fingers. Naruto bit his lip to hold back a scream, but he could not stop himself from letting out a pitiful, but loud, whimper.

Sasuke's eyes hardened as his nimble fingers whipped Naruto's shirt up. "You need a hospital." Naruto's eyes widened and his entire body tensed. He shook his head rapidly, "No, I don't."  
"No arguing. You need to go to a real doctor...now." Sasuke replied, his voice stern.  
"I can't. I am a fast healer, I will heal fine on my own." Naruto said, trying to push Sasuke off, to no avail. He could not go to a hospital, his father would find out and then the injuries would just become worse.  
"Why can't you go?"  
"I...I just can't, so let me go!" Naruto struggled and was surprised when Sasuke loosened his grip so Naruto could get free. "Abdomen hurt? Light-headed? Hard to breathe? Nauseous?" Naruto paused and stared at the boy above him. "Your ribs are fractured and there may be internal bleeding. You'll need surgery." Naruto shook his head again. "I can't." He shoved Sasuke off of him and slipped off the bed, but did not get more than a step before his vision darkened rapidly and he swayed. Large hands caught him as he fell back and he felt himself being lifted. He knew he was going to the hospital and he felt dread as he faded into unconsciousness. The last thought he had before his body went limp was, "_I hope he gets there too late."_

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**I do hope that you enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next one. I apologize if this does not live up to the last two chapters, but I was having a hard time introducing Sasuke. Please review! **


	4. I Wish He Would Just Kill Me

**Thank you to every one of my supporters! : ) You keep me going, seriously! Now, please enjoy this chapter. Also, I normally don't swear a lot in my writing, but this story...may be different. I apologize for those who don't like language. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Naruto_. **

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The consuming darkness was suffocating as it wrapped itself around Naruto. He saw nothing and felt nothing. _Is this death, this nothingness?_ He wanted it to be, for death meant the final escape. He did not care where it led him, as long as it was away from life. There were no men to attack him and there was no pain. Death was perfect to him. He was safe in death. No one could touch him if he was dead.

_"Is he?" _A voice shattered the silence and Naruto's hopeful thoughts. He was not dying after all. Naruto fought against the light that threatened to break the darkness. The faint light slowly faded and he was consumed once again. _"He's fading! Get the cart!" _

_Do not save me. Let me die, please, just let me die. _Naruto silently begged, not wanting to live. The light shone through the dark and started to pull him out of the safe dark place he was in. "No!" He cried out as his eyes flew open, only to close to guard against the blindingly bright fluorescent lighting. He rapidly blinked to help his eyes adjust. Disappointment washed over him when he lifted his eyelids to take in the dull room. He was alive, and to make matters worse, he was in a hospital.

"Idiot," came the quiet, scorning voice from the corner. Blue eyes snapped to take in the dark-haired figure sitting in a chair. Anger immediately filled the blue orbs and Naruto growled, "Why? I told you no hospital! What have you done?"  
"For your information, I brought you to this institution where they performed a life-saving surgery on a certain blond idiot." The raven looked pointedly at Naruto and crossed his arms. Naruto looked down to see that he was in a hospital gown and there was an IV sticking out of his hand. He hid the fear that he felt and looked back to his rival with a fiery glare. "I can see that, teme, but what I don't understand is why."

There was a long pause before the Uchiha replied, "No particular reason; a whim."

He growled and then glanced at the clock on the wall. _7:47. Oh, crap._ "I need to go." Naruto said urgently. He was barely able to keep the desperate tone from his voice. His father would home soon, and if he was not present... He did not want to think about what would happen. "The doctor wants to keep you overnight for observation." Naruto's eyes widened slightly and he shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I need to get home." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "My mom will be very worried about me and, well, I have a curfew."

"Call your mother and tell her what happened then." Naruto swallowed hard and quickly thought up another excuse. "My mom doesn't have a phone. Please, just let me leave." Naruto forced his weak body into a sitting position, ignoring the warning bells of straining muscles.  
A warm hand placed in the middle of his chest stopped his frantic movements. "Lay down, dobe." A shiver went down Naruto's spine and then he growled, fighting against the hand. "No."

The sound of the door opening caused Naruto to tense and he leaned back against the pillows. He saw Sasuke looking at him strangely, but he ignored it as he watched the doctor and a nurse enter. "Ah, you are awake." The large-busted, blond female smiled kindly while she spoke and she glanced at her chart. "You are a lucky young man, Naruto. Your ribs were broken and the internal bleeding was quite serious, I am surprised you were able to stay conscious as long as you did." The woman stopped beside the bed, "I would like to keep you overnight for observation." Naruto shook his head, "I am sorry, ma'am, but I need to get home."

"About that, Naruto..." His heart rate increased; he knew what was coming. This was how it always started. "When Sasuke told me your name, I took the liberty of looking you up and I found some interesting things under the name Naruto Uzumaki." The woman paused and Naruto knew she was studying him as he stared at the bed sheets. "You are in a foster home, correct?" Naruto nodded curtly and wished she would stop talking. He did not want Sasuke hearing this. He had kept the fact that he was a foster child hidden from those at school and he did not want anyone knowing, especially not his rival.

"The system is a bad place to be and the people in charge rarely take the time with their selection of homes...Is everything alright in the home you are currently in?" Naruto took a deep breath and then raised his head. Looking straight into the woman's eyes and smiling, Naruto nodded again, "Yeah, my mom worries a lot about me, so I should get home. I give her enough stress with my obnoxious behavior. Finding out I was in the hospital or being picked on by other kids would make her even more worried. Please, just let me go home? I will be careful." He rubbed the back of his head a bit sheepishly, pretending to be embarrassed about his foster mother.

"Where did the injuries come from then?" The blonde woman asked. "I got into a fight with some kids from school." He averted his eyes, hating that the lie made him seem like a weakling around people his own age. The woman doctor and her black-haired nurse seemed to relax. "Let him go?" She said as she looked to the woman beside her. "L-Lady Tsunade?! Are you sure?"

"Did I stutter, Shizune?"

"N-No, ma'am!" The nurse took the needle out of Naruto's hand and scurried away as Tsunade turned back to Naruto, "Keep your stitches clean and try not to move too much. No more fighting with upper classmen." Naruto opened his mouth to protest but was silenced by a look that he received from the woman. He had the feeling that she was not a woman to be crossed. If he had been in more of a fighting mood, he would have called her a granny and stuck his tongue out at her, but today, he was more concerned about getting home before his father did.

As he swung his legs over the side of the bed, Naruto remembered that there was another person in the room. He winced at the expression the raven had. The other boy seemed to be contemplating what he had heard. "Well, I'm going home. Where'd my clothes run off to?" He started to slide off the bed and glanced around the room for his clothing.

"Why have you never said anything?" Naruto's attention returned to the raven and he swallowed hard at the intense gaze. "It was not important. Now, where are my clothes?" There was a long pause before Sasuke held out a neat black and orange pile. "Oh...Uh, thanks." Naruto swiftly took the clothing and walked into the small bathroom near the door.

Slipping out of the hospital gown, Naruto stared at the bandage around his abdomen. Gritting his teeth, he took it off slowly, wincing when it caught on dried blood. His normally tan skin was black and blue. The boot print was fading, but he could still see it faintly. Carefully inching into his own clothing, Naruto shivered as he looked at his clothed reflection in the mirror above the sink. The bruises on his face were still present and they stood out like a sore thumb. Running gentle fingers over the sensitive skin, Naruto steeled his pained gaze. Picking up the discarded bandage from the floor, he tossed it in the trash and opened the bathroom door.

Sasuke was standing in the hallway, watching him. Naruto offered the raven a small smile before he walked past. He walked quickly and was thankful for the morphine that the IV had pumped through his veins. The strong effects of the drug masked the pain, and even his leg did not hurt when he moved. It had been a long time since he had felt no pain when he moved his left leg. _I am surprised that the old hag doctor did not say something about my leg. _He glanced down at his leg that, try as he might to stop it, still dragged slightly when he walked. Other people rarely noticed it, as he kept the limping to a bare minimum and he was careful not to draw attention to it. Shikamaru had noticed it the first time they had met, but Naruto had brushed off the question by saying he had an accident when he was little.

Coming out of his thoughts, Naruto realized that Sasuke was walking in front of him, leading him through the hospital. _When did he get there? _He raised an eyebrow, but continued following after the quiet Uchiha. Glancing around the winding hallways, Naruto took in the people around him. There was a gaggle of children walking down the hallway with a man and a woman, all smiling and laughing. Some of the children were carrying bags and talking excitedly, though quietly, about their new cousin. Naruto watched them pass and turn down a hallway that was labeled, 'Maternity Ward'. Other people were walking past with somber faces and tear-stained cheeks. There were patients being pushed in wheelchairs by nurses dressed in blue scrubs.

Turning his eyes to the front, Naruto saw that they were nearing the front lobby of the hospital. Naruto tensed when the amount of people around increased. He unconsciously got closer to the raven in front of him. A tug at his sweatshirt sleeve caused him to look down. A pale hand grasped the orange material as if to reassure him that everything was okay. Naruto felt a warm, safe feeling creep through his body and he relaxed slightly. When the hospital doors were behind them, the grip on the orange material lessened and then disappeared altogether as Sasuke let go.

Naruto felt the warmth lessen when the other boy moved away from him to stand beside a dark car. "Get in." Naruto's eyes widened and he glanced from Sasuke to the car. He bit his lip and then stared at Sasuke. "A-Are you sure?" He hesitantly spoke, wondering if he had imagined the invitation, or rather command, to get into the vehicle. The rolling eyes and slight scowl told him that he had heard correctly. Licking his lips nervously, Naruto slowly opened the car door and sat on the leather passenger seat. He shut the door carefully, not wanting to harm the fancy car.

"What's your problem, dobe?" The voice was mocking and the smirk on the raven's face was condescending. Naruto glared at Sasuke and quickly looked down at his folded hands. "Your car matches your Ice Prince personality; rich and snobby." He grumbled as he buckled himself in. Sasuke scoffed quietly before turning the key in the ignition. The car rumbled to life and then went into reverse with the movement of the gear stick.

Naruto felt uncomfortable sitting in an expensive vehicle that he clearly had no business being in. If his father could see him now...He inwardly shuddered at the thought. "Your address." Naruto glanced at the driver and then realized that Sasuke intended on driving him home, which could not happen. Sasuke could not know where Naruto lived and Naruto could not be seen getting out of Sasuke's car. "Uh, well, drive to Viking Road." The silence that followed made Naruto worried that other boy was not going to do as asked.  
"That is not an address." The reply finally came and Naruto could tell it was filled with concealed annoyance. "If you must now, teme, my mom would completely flip out if I pulled up in our driveway in a fancy car. You do not want that to happen. She's crazy and would be like the rest of your idiotic fan girls. Do you want that?" The slight setting of the jaw gave Naruto the reply he needed, "Well, then, duck-butt, if you insist on driving me, Viking Road will do."

The quiet growl that emanated from the raven's throat caused a soft chuckle to burst forth from his lips. The glare that he received would have been terrifying if Naruto was unaffected by the famous 'Uchiha glare'. After a while, such things did not work on a person any more. The rest of the car ride was silent as Naruto watched the world pass by. The silence was comforting to him and he enjoyed riding in the car, even with Sasuke as the driver.

"Foster mother..." The words were so quiet and unexpected; Naruto jerked his head towards Sasuke in surprise. "Uh, yeah. She is my foster mom, but that isn't important." Naruto paused and then continued, "I hate to ask anything of you, but can you not tell anyone about it?" He shook his head, knowing that his request was going to be ignored. "Never mind, bastard. You spread it around that I'm an unwanted kid in the system. I don't care, do what you want."

Thankfully, the road sign for Viking came into view and Sasuke turned onto the street, pulling to the side to let Naruto out. Naruto slide out of the car and then paused with his hand on the door handle. "Thanks." He said begrudgingly as he shut the door and walked away. Raising his hood and shoving his hands in his jean pockets, Naruto hurried down the sidewalk. Weaving his way through the neighborhood until he came to the street that held hell, Naruto was surprised at the short amount of time it took to arrive at his destination. Standing in the driveway to hell, Naruto felt dread pool in the pit of his stomach. The cracker box car in the driveway meant one thing...The devil was home.

Forcing his frozen body forward, Naruto walked up the walk and the porch steps. A hand went to rest on the door knob and his heart stopped as the metal twisted beneath his hand. In the doorway stood his father with a stone-faced expression on his face. "Welcome home." The words were filled with held back anger and Naruto felt sick to his stomach as the predatory gaze drilled into his soul. Naruto knew better than to speak as he moved into the house. The soft sound of the door closing caused fearful shivers to run down his spine. A rough hand took a hold of his blond locks and yanked his head back. A deep voice growled out painful words as he was forced to walk up carpeted steps. Tears leaked from blue eyes as he was pushed through a door and against a mattress. Bright clothing was torn from his body and discarded with crimson stains. The weak sobs that racked his body only made the devil rage more. Naruto thought desperately through the tears, "_I wish he would just kill me."__  
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**How was this chapter? Somehow I feel like I changed styles a bit...What do you think? This chapter happens to be a transition into the next level of the story, so that may be why things seem different to me. Ah well, I will stop ranting now. Please review! :) Next chapter should be up soon, hopefully. I enjoy writing this story a lot, so muse is plentiful! **


	5. What If He Knows?

**WARNING: If you don't want to read hints about...well...forced Naruto, skip the first two paragraphs. **

**Now, enjoy and please review! : ) I thank all those who have read this story and enjoyed it enough to favorite, review, etc. You guys keep me going. : D You are all awesome! **

**One day, I will do something interesting with this blank space before the chapter besides my three line rambles...One day...**

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The man above him was moaning loudly, but only soft, muffled whimpers left Naruto's sore throat. Silent tears ran down the pained face as he submitted himself to the humiliation of being forced into such a personal act with his father. He dug his teeth into his lip to keep any forms of pleasure or pain louder than a whimper from escaping his mouth. Fingers took a hold of his chin with a tight grip and forced him to turn his head towards the man above him. "Look at me."

Naruto slowly removed his gaze from the ceiling and stared at the man with terror filled eyes. "Say my name." Naruto stopped biting his lip and mumbled, "Takeshi." A stinging pain across his cheek told him to say it louder. He forced his shaking voice to a greater volume, "T-Takeshi!" The sick smile that came to his father's lip made his stomach to lurch, but he knew it would be over soon. The day's torture would soon be complete and the man would leave.

The disgusting smell hung in the air long after the devil left his room. It was hours before Naruto could move from his prone position on the filthy sheets. He knew that laying in the filth would only cause the morning to be worse, but he did not have the strength to do more than curl into himself. Before his eyes shut, Naruto glanced down at his abdomen that was bathed in moonlight. Crimson and white of various bodily fluids glimmered in the light. Unconsciousness took him as he thought about how long he would need to shower in the morning to clean himself off.

When he awoke, he forced his aching body off the bed. Ruined clothing was discarded and a dresser was dug through in search of a fresh set of clothing. The devil had ruined his last brightly colored sweatshirt and shirt, so only dreary choices were left. Cries of pain were held back as Naruto moved across the hall in nothing but his boxers. The shower proved to be difficult as the scrubbing reopened many wounds. He found the hidden bottle of liquid bandage that his mother kept under the sink and used it to replace the no longer existent stitches in his abdomen. Using great care and bandages from his mother's hidden stash, Naruto redressed his surgical site. He winced as he remembered his father ripping the suture from his skin.

Dressing was no more difficult than it normally was and Naruto managed to limp his way downstairs before he heard any noises of life from the upstairs. He found his lunch on the counter and his backpack sitting beside the door where it had been discarded the day before. Slipping away from hell, Naruto hide his limp and began his trek to school. He put the hood of his black sweatshirt up and walked with his head down.

Walking past Viking, as he did every morning, Naruto glanced both ways to check for any cars before crossing. A familiar black car was advancing towards the stop sign. Naruto watched with surprise as the tinted window rolled down to reveal a smirking Uchiha. "Dobe."  
Naruto raised his head fully and tilted it to the side slightly in confusion. "Get in." His eyebrows rose at the familiar phrase. _I can't get out of this..._ Naruto could think of no way to get out riding with the Uchiha, so he slowly walked around the vehicle and got in. He fidgeted under the intense stare of the raven and was glad when Sasuke had to focus on driving.

Naruto was sure that he looked worse than he did the day before, and hoped that Sasuke would not say anything about it. His father had been having a rough time at work, so the beatings were becoming more frequent and more personal. Naruto felt sick as he thought about it. He shuddered and looked out the window in a desperate attempt to find something else to think about.

A warm hand touched his arm and he flinched slightly. He looked down to see Sasuke's hand resting just below his elbow. His brow furrowed, but he simply turned away from the sight and stared straight ahead. Naruto would never admit it, but he enjoyed the feeling that came from having the pale hand on his arm. Thoughts of his father and the beatings faded from his mind and he could relax a little.

It was strange that his rival could calm him like this, but he chose not to contemplate it too deeply. Any ploy to get to him was not worth thinking too deeply about. Kindness from his rival meant that the Uchiha was trying to break him. Naruto ignored the odd sensation that bubbled into his chest and shrugged off Sasuke's hand. "Don't touch me." He muttered. The warmth was gone and Naruto gritted his teeth. Warmth was something that he was not allowed; warmth made him weak.

The silence was deafening and oddly uncomfortable for Naruto. He stole a glance at Sasuke and was surprised to see that the other boy had his jaw set. _Why is he angry? _ Turning away to watch the road, Naruto's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Then get out." The car stopped and the doors unlocked as Sasuke stared at Naruto with barely concealed anger. Naruto stared back in surprise and then unbuckled his seatbelt. He made to get his way out of the car, but was stopped by Sasuke's voice. "Whatever happened this time, dobe, it was not from school." Naruto's heart rate sped up and he opened the door. Slipping out, he knew there was nothing that would change the Uchiha's mind, so he did not reply to the statement. Instead, he shut the car door and walked away. He was glad that Sasuke had gotten mad and let him out, for if the ride had continued, words would have been spoken and Naruto would not have been able to escape them like he was now.

Sasuke could not know. No one could know. His secrets were his own, and though the school district and now the hospital knew where he lived, even if they came to inspect, the Uzumaki family would pretend to be perfectly happy. No matter what scrutiny his father was under, the stories would hold up and there would be no evidence that he was abusing his wife and foster child. The courts would look at him disapprovingly, but pass the verdict that the man was sound to return to his home. There were those that seemed to sense something was going on in their home, but did nothing about it, because they could do nothing. Naruto had heard every reason why people could not help. Takeshi was merely one in a line of many abusers and Naruto knew that this one was smart, when he wasn't drunk.

Shivers went down his spine as he remembered previous foster homes that he had been in. Eventually, Takeshi would break him and either beat him till he was on the brink of death, or send him back, saying he was unruly and a problem child. It had been going on that way for almost seventeen years. Shaking his head, Naruto tried to clear thoughts of his past away. _Damn Uchiha, getting me to think about the past. _

As he came to the school gates, Naruto put on his idiotic grin and waited. Not long after, Iruka appeared and hurried to the gate. Naruto continued to smile as he conversed with his homeroom teacher. Iruka made an inquiry about his face and Naruto shrugged it off with a simple reply. When he got to his desk, he went through his routine and read his book, now on page 148. As students filed in, he put it away and waited to be called on. The pain was at a dull roar, but he ignored it and focused on the day. He was not going to have a repeat of yesterday. As he shouted out his normal reply to Iruka's roll call, Naruto felt eyes drilling holes into the back of his head. When he sat back down, he stole a glance behind him to see a certain Uchiha glaring daggers at him.

Rolling his eyes and sticking his tongue out at the other boy, Naruto turned back to the front and watched his teacher with rapt attention, though he was only half-listening to what the man was saying. The bell rang and homeroom was finally over. Naruto leapt to his feet and hurried to find his friends. Sakura looked worried, but the rest were talking amongst themselves. He waved as he approached them and was relieved to see them wave back. He spoke excitedly with them, glad that no one mentioned the events of yesterday. He let himself forget about his pain and his problems, and focus on his friends and school. Having a 'normal' life was enjoyable for him and the image it created protected him from having to leave his 'life' behind.

Life had returned to normal. Classes went by quickly and with ease, compared to the day before. It became easier for Naruto to pretend that he wasn't in pain. However, 'normal' disappeared after lunch when he was walking to his next class. Shikamaru tapped him on the shoulder and motioned for him to follow as he walked away. Confused and worried, Naruto followed his friend to a more remote hallway with only a few stragglers left, hurrying to their classes. Shikamaru paused as they reached a corner created by lockers and then turned to the blond. "I'm not one to push situations, makes things such a drag." He paused and then continued, while Naruto's brow furrowed, "Uchiha took you to the hospital."

Naruto's eyes widened and he swallowed hard. His mind scrambled to come up with a reliable answer. "That bruise I showed you? Apparently it was worse than I thought and, uh, I blacked out again. I don't understand why that bastard had to take me to the hospital...I told him no, but he didn't listen, like always." He grumbled, crossing his arms. "Anyways, let's get to class, Shika! I do not want to miss another one of Kurenai-sensei's Health classes! She freaks me out enough with those eyes of hers, I don't need her mad at me." He grinned and walked away, half expecting to be stopped. When he heard the long, dragging footsteps of his friend following after him, Naruto's smile became slightly relieved. Not having to deal with another odd conversation that led to him taking his shirt off was a good thing.

As they headed into class, Naruto felt eyes on him again and he stiffened, knowing who the eyes belonged to. His self-declared rival and the boy who had been oddly kind to him the day before, Sasuke Uchiha, was staring at him with the same unnerving gaze that he had aimed towards the blond since homeroom. The normally blank eyes were filled with slight worry and anger. It was a volatile mixture that made Naruto nervous and he dreaded the end of ninth period. He sighed as he glanced at the clock. His seventh period class, history, was almost over and his next class also contained the Uchiha. He pretended to pay attention as Asuma-sensei droned on and on about a war.

The bell rang soon after and Naruto walked quickly out of the room, thankful to get away from the piercing gaze, even if it was just for a short while. He slipped into a bathroom and quickly downed a few pain pills. He turned to leave as the door to the bathroom banged open and a pale raven-haired boy walked in. Naruto inwardly groaned and then attempted to brush past the other boy, but was stopped by a strong arm on his tricep. "Naruto..."  
Glancing back in surprise, he stared into obsidian eyes. Sasuke had never said his name before, at least not to his face, and the tone that he said it in...Naruto swallowed hard. Why had it sounded like the other boy was worried about him?

The warmth from Sasuke seeped through the dark sweatshirt and Naruto found it hard to move away, but he forced himself to jerk out of the raven's grasp. "Stay away from me. I don't need your pity." He hardened his gaze and set his jaw. Sasuke's eyes flashed with anger and Naruto was unable to stop himself from crying out as he was pushed against a stall. "Don't give me that, usuratonkachi!" The raven growled out with a harsh whisper. Pale hands gripped his shoulders and pinned him to the cool metal behind him. Naruto's eyes were wide and full of fear for a moment before he regained control and hardened his gaze again. "What is going on? I know you were not hurt by another student! Stop lying!"

"It is none of your business, so keep your chicken-butt self out of it! Why do you even pretend to care? We hate each other, remember? Whether or not I get beat up should mean nothing to a bastard like you." Naruto replied, his eyes glinting with anger and poorly suppressed sorrow. He could tell that with each biting syllable, Sasuke's anger was growing. He wanted the other boy angry, so they would fight and the subject would be dropped.

However, Sasuke appeared to calm down as the grip on his shoulders lessened. "You have a point, but..." Naruto wished there was a window in the bathroom so he could check if the sky was falling because one of these days it was going to just collapse and the world was going to end if Sasuke did not get his act together. "...I will find out what you are hiding." A classic smirk slipped across the pale face and Naruto frowned. Hands left his shirt and Naruto tried to get away, but a rustling and then a sudden burst of cold air hitting his bare chest caused him to pause and look down. He frantically looked up at the raven's face and there his gaze stopped. Sasuke was staring at his chest with the scariest look he had ever seen on the Uchiha's face. It was blank to the point that Naruto could not read a single emotion, which was extremely rare. _  
_

There was a long pause before Sasuke opened his mouth to speak. "Who did this?" The words were ground out and each syllable was well pronounced. Naruto suddenly felt weak and he hated it. How could a simple question from his rival cause him to lose strength? His voice trembled as he spoke, "N-No on-ne in particular..." Naruto looked at his own abdomen and bit his lip. It looked worse than the day before. The main bruise was a horrible yellowish color, but the new ones that had appeared that morning were a dark blue-black. The bandages that he had applied earlier were stained with blood and were messy in comparison to what the hospital had put on him. Naruto thought in horror as he studied his bad bandaging job, "_What if he knows? _

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**Voila! I will hopefully update soon. : ) This chapter was more difficult than I thought it would be to write. Rawr. **


	6. The Truth Must Stay Hidden

**Ta-da, chapter six! : ) I apologize for any mistakes in this chapter and in previous ones. I write later in the evening and often miss things when I recheck, even in the morning. Sorry!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Naruto_ or any character of Kishimoto's. Besides, if I did, Naruto and Sasuke would be together and the world would be happy, which it is not, sadly. **

**I want to thank every one, again. You guys are all amazing and I am only able to write this story because of you. ^_^ Please enjoy!**

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Obsidian eyes rose to meet his wide blue ones. Murmured words of, "I can help," came from Sasuke's lips. Naruto searched the dark eyes for traces of a lie, but found none. There was a distant part of him that wanted to believe in the other boy, but he knew he could not. No one could help him, especially not Sasuke. A sad smile came to his lips and Naruto shook his head. "No...No, you can't." Naruto moved out of the loose grip and pulled his shirt and sweatshirt down. "Forget about this, Sasuke. I do not need help, especially from you." He put his hand on the door handle. "Nothing you do will help, so give it up. My life is my own and it is best staying that way." Pushing the door open, he walked away from the bathroom.

Emotions raged within him and he absent-mindedly clutched at his chest. His breathing was ragged and he felt like crying. As he looked back at the bathroom, he felt a sudden rush of anger. Setting his jaw, Naruto hurried away and slipped into the nurse's office. He whined about how his stomach was killing him again and the nurse rolled her eyes, but said she would write an excuse for him. He laid down on a bed and burrowed underneath the blanket. When he heard the click of the door shutting, Naruto smiled slightly. The nurse always knew when he wanted to be alone and she never asked unnecessary questions.

Burying his face in the pillow, Naruto let his eyes slide shut. He took long, deep breaths to calm his still raging emotions and mind. He did not understand why his rival was intent on finding out what he was hiding. His friends did not ask many questions about his home life or where he got injuries, so why should his rival ask questions? Why Sasuke seemed to care boggled Naruto's mind. The raven hated the sight of him, and yet, had treated him almost civilly. _Maybe the jocks are paying him to get close to me. This could all be part of a plan to humiliate me; it wouldn't be the first time. _

Unwittingly, his mind wandered to the past. In previous schools, the students that had hated him got someone to approach and eventually befriend him before they used what they had learned to make his life more miserable than it already was. Naruto clutched his chest again and let out a shaking breath. He let his mind walk down memory lane in an attempt to forget about Sasuke's actions in the past forty-eight hours.

_"Naruto! Wake up, your foster family is here to take you home." A small blond head lifted from a worn pillow and pink lips stretched into a sweet smile. The little boy bounded off the bed and picked up his small orange bag. He hurried into the lobby and smiled up at the people who would become his temporary new parents. "Are you gonna' be my Momma and my Papa for now?" The sweet woman who crouched beside him nodded and then offered him a hand. "Yes, Naruto, we are." He gave her the biggest grin he could manage as he placed his tiny hand in hers. He missed the flicker of fear that entered the nice woman's eyes when her husband placed his hand on her shoulder. He missed the man's stiff posture. He thought with his naïve seven-year old mind that he was going to be happy with his foster parents. _

Naruto's body relaxed slightly as he fell asleep. Tears slowly leaked out from beneath closed eyelids and trailed down his face. He whimpered in his sleep and clutched at the blanket. As his dreams took a turn for the worst, he curled into himself, mumbling. "No..." He started toss and turn, but his cries stayed quiet. Hands tightened and loosened their grip on the sheets. "Can't..." His whimpers turned into pants and his words came out between deep breaths. "Please...stop." His head flew back on the pillow and his body tensed. A low groan burst from his lips.

The door to the room eased open and a dark figure slipped inside. A pale hand gripped Naruto's arm and stilled the thrashing. The whimpers came to a stop and Naruto's tense body relaxed as a deep voice drifted into his ears. "Dobe..." Curling towards the warmth of the other boy, Naruto let out a soft sigh. "Sa...su...ke..." The grip on his arm tightened for a moment in response to the murmured name. The raven stood over the slumbering blond until just before the last bell rang. He let go of Naruto's arm and left him in a peaceful slumber.

When Naruto awoke, he noted the oddly familiar scent that hung in the air and the fading warmth of another presence. He sat up and rubbed his arm in confusion. He had felt this warmth before, but Sasuke could not have been in the room. Another person entering a room normally woke him up, even from a deep sleep. His blue eyes rested on the door before glancing at the clock. _Oh, 5:30...Wait, what?! Crap!_ Naruto leapt out of bed, ignoring the flashes of pain that were sent to his brain. Slinging his pack over his shoulder, he hurried out of the nurses' office and into the hallway. Stragglers were still leaving the building, but beyond that the hallways were empty. He was not surprised that his friends had not come looking for him, as he had a tendency to disappear after school and they had given up looking for him when he did.

He left the building and hurried out of the gates. His father would be home around 7:15, at the latest, but Naruto was sure he would be fine if he came home late. Wednesday was normally a safe day, even if the demon had a bad time at work. For some reason, the middle of the week was a safe time in the Uzumaki household, not that he was complaining. It gave his body the extra day it needed to heal before the abuse began again. Taking a deep breath, Naruto reassured himself that tonight would not end with him lying in pain from fresh wounds. A very faint smile came to his lips and he walked towards hell with a slight lightness to his gait. He was free tonight and he could sleep without interruption.

As he walked down the sidewalk, Naruto waved to people who passed and smiled to those who returned his friendly wave. Even as he approached his home, the smile did not fade from his face. The darkening sky was comforting to him as he moved beneath the increasing moonlight. The sight of the small car in the driveway made his heart beat quicken, but he reminded himself that there would be no beatings. Opening the door with practiced slow and quiet movements, Naruto slipped inside the home and hurried up the steps to his room. The house was silent and he let out a sigh of relief as he saw the plate of food sitting on his bedside table. He knew his foster mother had sneaked the food upstairs for him when she realized he was going to be late. If there was one good thing about the home, it was his foster mother, who tried to take care of him. _  
_

His stomach growled and he shut the bedroom door before advancing on the plate of lukewarm pasta. He was thankful for his mother, who made sure he had at least two solid meals a day. She kept hidden supplies of bandages and other important items that she showed to Naruto. _Mom, you are a lifesaver. Thank you. _He dug into the pasta with a quiet, appreciative groan. Each bite was like heaven to his taste-buds. Finishing the pasta slowly, Naruto did homework before setting aside the empty dish and turning his light off.

Resting his weary head against the soft pillow, Naruto shut his eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep. His dreams, instead of being plagued by abuse and dark figures like normal, were filled with a pale-faced raven. Sasuke's voice echoed through his slumbering conscious and caused a small smile to make its presence known on his lips. However, his peaceful dreams turned into fearful ones when the pale raven discovered all his secrets. Naruto bolted awake, clutching his chest and panting. "Sasuke..." His brow furrowed and he buried his face in his hands. _What is going on? Why are you in my dreams? Why...Why can't I stop thinking about you? _Laying back down, Naruto groaned softly and stared at the white ceiling.

He watched as the moon gave way to the sun and the room was washed in a very pale grey light. Rising from his bed with a yawn, Naruto began preparations for the day. He slipped another dark outfit and limped down the stairs to retrieve his lunch. He slipped it inside the book bag slung over his shoulders as he descended the steps to hell. Glancing back as he reached the gate, Naruto loosely saluted the house and then sighed. Beginning the three-mile trek, Naruto raised a hand in greeting to his neighbor as she got into her car to head to work. The cool fall air rustled his blond hair and he looked up at the changing leaves on the trees. He enjoyed seeing the orange, red, and yellow bleeding into the green. It was beautiful and reminded him that the world changed even if his life did not.

As he passed Victor, Naruto checked for a black car. Seeing no such vehicle, he let out the breath he had held in. He did not want to have to deal with the Uchiha on such a beautiful morning. He was in a good mood and seeing his rival's face would ruin it, especially after the dreams he had about Sasuke that had caused him to not get much sleep. He was still confused by his dreams and seeing Sasuke would only complicate things. Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his tousled hair. The school came into view and put on his customary idiotic grin. Raising a hand to his sensei, he entered the gate and talked lightly with Iruka. Sitting in his seat and opening his book to page 161, Naruto lost himself inside the book and blocked out the world around him. For a while, he forgot about his troubles and life outside of the words written on the page.

However, when an all too familiar gaze burned into the back of his skull, Naruto shut the book and turned his gaze to the door. Sasuke stood there, staring at him with a guarded gaze. Clenching his jaw, Naruto looked away as he put the book in his bag. He focused on the teacher and pretended that Sasuke was not in the room. It was hard, as the other boy continued to stare even after he sat down. By the end of home room, Naruto felt extremely uncomfortable. Each class that he shared with the Uchiha was the same way; by the end he felt like hiding underneath a rock away from the piercing gaze. His friends asked him what was going on, but he quickly brushed them off with a smile and shrug. When pressed by Sakura, he gestured across the cafeteria to a still staring Uchiha. It made sense to her after that and she stopped asking, only smiled knowingly at him. This freaked him out, but he knew better than to mention it, for fear of his own safety.

Naruto tried to go about his business, but found it difficult with the ever-staring raven. Even as he left school grounds, the eyes were still upon him. He shivered and put his hands in his sweatshirt pocket. It was then that the heavens decided to open and a light drizzle began. Naruto normally enjoyed the rain, but today it was too cold to enjoy such things, and his abdomen was starting to ache. As the rain picked up and soaked through his clothing, Naruto tried to go faster. He found it difficult to do so in his cold and wet state. _I'll have to sneak this stuff into the dryer tonight, otherwise they won't be dry by morning. _To distract himself from the cold, he started to formulate a plan to get his clothing into the dryer without his father knowing.

A honk of a car horn disrupted his thoughts and he glanced behind him, pausing as he did. The only car on the road was parked on the side and it looked oddly familiar. He took in the black, sleek design and then he groaned as the driver's window rolled down to reveal that Sasuke Uchiha. "Get in." Naruto bit his lip and contemplated the command. He knew that getting into the other boy's car was a bad idea, but he was cold and rather wet and the car seemed so inviting, even as the Uchiha as it's driver. As shivers racked his frame, Naruto forced himself to walk to the passenger's door and get in. Neither boy said anything as Naruto shut the door and buckled himself in.

Sasuke pulled into a nearby driveway and turned the car around. Naruto's gaze went from the road to the driver in confusion. This was not the way to Viking. Naruto sat in awkward silence for a few moments before he spoke, "Uh...Sasuke, where are you going?" He asked, hesitating between a few words. The glare that he received in return did not surprise, but caused him to grow nervous nonetheless. "Home." The verbal answer was odd and Naruto did not like the sound of the word, 'home'.  
"Why am I still in the car if you are going home?" Naruto questioned, wanting to know exactly why the other boy was taking him to the Uchiha residence.  
"You don't want to go home." The reply was quiet and lacking in emotion, but Naruto was scared by it. He wanted to answer Sasuke honestly and tell him that, yes, he did not want to go back to hell, but there was no way he could do that. The other boy was not to be trusted. _The truth must stay hidden._

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**Please Review! The monster must be fed to keep the chapters coming...Must...eat... :) Also, I have a question I would like to ask you. Who should the principal of the school be? I have yet to decide, and though I have a few people in mind, I am not certain and would like some ideas. Please tell me your thoughts. They will be much appreciated. Thank you! **


	7. What Have I Done?

**Well, that was quick...I was excited about this chapter. I have waited anxiously to introduce Sasuke's family since the beginning! : ) And for those of you who might upset that Sasuke still has a family, I needed them for the story later on. Having them alive is very important to the ****plot.**

**Again, I apologize for any mistakes. This was written and checked in one setting! **

**Please enjoy! **

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Naruto stared at the Uchiha house with amazement. The place was like a mansion! Sasuke acted like he was well-off, but he had not expected that he lived in such a beautiful building. "Dobe, stop staring, it is just a house." Naruto turned to Sasuke and managed to stutter, "J-just a house?" He recovered after a moment and continued in a steady voice. "It's a mansion!" He got out of the car slowly, ignoring the eye rolling that the raven was doing. His amazement, however, faded when he saw other cars in the driveway. His tan face paled considerably and he swallowed hard.

"Are you trying to freeze?" Naruto turned his gaze to Sasuke, who was now standing on the front porch with the door open. Naruto realized that he was still standing in the rain and hurried to join Sasuke under the awning. He entered the home after Sasuke and copied the other boy in taking off his shoes. "Wait here." Naruto obeyed, feeling nervous and a bit scared. The cars in the driveway meant that there were others in the house, most likely adults. Naruto imagined a long-haired female Sasuke and an older, taller Sasuke. He snorted to himself and then buried his thoughts as Sasuke returned with a towel that was promptly thrown at his face.

Naruto dried himself off the best he could before he followed Sasuke through the entry hall. "Is that you, Sasuke?" Naruto tensed at the sound of the feminine voice from the room they were approaching. "Yes, Mother." Naruto was a bit surprised by the polite tone of voice that the other boy used in addressing his mother. He addressed his mother in that way, but none of his friends did so. As they entered the kitchen, Naruto stopped in the doorway for a moment. His jaw dropped a few inches as he took in Sasuke's mother. She was beautiful, with long, black hair that shimmered in the fluorescent light. Her pale skin was lightly flushed from standing over a hot stove and her lips were pulled back in a sweet, gentle smile. Her dark eyes filled with surprise as she stared back at Naruto. "Well, this is a surprise. Sasuke, why didn't you tell me we were having a guest for dinner?"

"I apologize, Mother. It was a surprise to me as well." Naruto snapped out of his stupor and walked to stand beside Sasuke at the kitchen counter. Extending a hand, Naruto smiled at the woman, surprised that she had not said something about his bruised face. "I'm Naruto, ma'am, sorry for intruding!" The woman giggled and took the hand, shaking it lightly. "So polite! Are you a friend from school?" Naruto glanced at Sasuke, unsure of how to answer the question. Thankfully, Sasuke answered for him, "An acquaintance from school." Sasuke's mother nodded, "Oh, and you can call me Mikoto, Naruto. Goodness, you are soaked! Sasuke, get him some of your clothing and show him the bathroom, will you?" She rummaged through cupboards and set a place for Naruto as she spoke. Sasuke led him up the steps where he left him in the bathroom and quickly returned with a change in clothing. Naruto inclined his head in thanks before shutting the door to change. The shirt was a bit big on him, but the pants fit and Naruto was glad for anything dry.

Stepping out of the bathroom with wet clothing in hand, Naruto almost ran into Sasuke who standing in front of the door. Sasuke growled and took the clothing before disappearing down the steps. Naruto followed after him, but waited by the kitchen doorway as Sasuke threw the clothing in a dryer. Sasuke brushed past him and entered the kitchen, sitting down at the table. Naruto hesitated before sitting down across from the raven. It appeared as if Mikoto had set a fifth place at the table while they were upstairs.

He fiddled with the hem of his sweatshirt as he stared down at the table. He had no idea why he was there and he was nervous about eating a meal at someone else's home, especially as an uninvited guest. He glanced up at Sasuke to find that the other boy was watching him. He quickly ducked his head again and tried to relax. Naruto managed to relax slightly, but then the front door opened and shut with a gentle thud. "Ah, your father is home. Good, dinner is done." Naruto swallowed hard again and bit the inside of his lip as a tall man entered the room. He looked similar to his son, with dark hair and pale skin, but Naruto decided that Sasuke got most of his looks from his mother. The man moved to his wife and gave her gentle hug and kissed her lips softly, much to Naruto's embarrassment. He lowered his head again and hoped the man would not notice him.

"Who is the guest, Mikoto?" The rough voice made Naruto tighten his grip on the hem of his sweatshirt. "Sasuke brought him for dinner." Naruto decided to look up at the man as he moved to sit down at the head of the table, which was thankfully at the other end of the table. "My name is Naruto, sir." He offered a very small smile and was relieved to see the man nod in reply. After Mikoto placed steaming pots on the table, she went to the doorway and called towards the stairs, "Itachi, dinner is ready!" She sat down in the chair beside Naruto at the other head of the table, opposite of her husband. Naruto licked his lips nervously. He had not realized that there was yet another person in the home. It was then that he noticed the place set between Sasuke's father and his own seat.

Thuds sounded on the steps and an older Sasuke with lines on his face appeared in the doorway. "Father, Mother, and...Well, who do we have here?" The man sat down in the chair beside Naruto. "Naruto." Itachi smiled slightly and nodded, "An acquaintance from school, I presume, Sasuke?" Naruto heard a grunt from the raven across from him. The meal began with the customary thanking for the food and then the head of the household served food. Naruto accepted his food with a murmured thank you and politely began to eat. The food was delicious and made Naruto hum happily to himself.

"So, Naruto, what is your last name and how old are you?" Naruto glanced at Sasuke's father and then replied, "Uzumaki, sir, and I am seventeen." He wondered if there was something familiar about his last name to the man as dark eyebrow raised a centimeter. "Fugaku, you're making the poor boy nervous!" Mikoto said, lightly scolding her husband. Naruto returned to his food in embarrassment until he felt a nudge to his arm. Glancing up in surprise, Naruto looked at Itachi who was looking at him. "What's up with your face?" Naruto immediately tensed and his hands froze above his plate, clenching his fork and knife. He had hoped that the question would not come up. He disliked having to repeat lies that made him seem weak, especially to strangers.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Sasuke spoke before he could get a syllable out. "He got pushed into a fight at school." Naruto's face burned and he lowered his hands and head. It sounded worse when Sasuke said it, though he was glad that other boy did not say that he was beat up. "You didn't start, did you, Naruto?" Naruto was surprised by the gentle question from Mikoto and he glanced in her direction, taking in her concerned expression. "No, ma'am."

"Good. I dislike students that fight in such vulgar ways. I am glad you are not one of them." She smiled at Naruto, who returned her smile. However, when he returned his gaze to his food, he could have sworn that Mikoto and her husband shared a knowing glance. No one addressed him for the rest of meal, but Mikoto and Fugaku, as he found that Sasuke's father was called, talked about their days. Naruto started to relax and let himself smile slightly as he finished his dinner. He forgot about his curfew and the pain that he would receive when he got home. He helped Mikoto clear the table and talked with her about simple things as they washed dishes. Sasuke, Itachi, and Fugaku sat around the table, occasionally exchanging words. Mikoto noticed Naruto's gaze and laughed, "I sometimes wonder how I manage to live with three indifferent men, but they are more caring then they let on." She smiled as Naruto turned back to the dishes.

"Sasuke has never brought anyone home before." Naruto jerked his head up and raised his eyebrows. "You are the first." Mikoto smiled again, "I think I understand what drew him to you." Naruto felt his cheeks heat up and he scratched at the back of his head. This caused the woman to giggle, "You are so cute!" She reached up quickly to grasp his face, but stopped when Naruto tensed and flinched away. Her smile faltered and she lowered her hands to his shoulders with a gentle touch, "I am sorry, did I frighten you some how?" Naruto realized how he had reacted and shook his head. "No, I...well, it is nothing." He smiled at her. "I don't think Sasuke is drawn to me for anything beyond for rivalry. We aren't friends."

"I thought otherwise, you two seem very close. Sasuke has never acted the way he is today." Naruto was again surprised by Mikoto's words. He shrugged and put the last clean plate on the rack beside the sink. He stepped back and then saw the dishwasher that Mikoto was standing in front of. He glanced from the freshly washed dishes to the dishwasher with one raised eyebrow. Mikoto noticed and smiled, "I don't like using this thing. I prefer to wash by hand. It annoys the men of this household, but if they want the dishwasher to be used, maybe they should do the dishes." Her eyes sparkled good-naturally and Naruto could not help but smile in return.

A resounding beep came Naruto's ears and he turned in the direction of the wash room that he could see it through the kitchen door. "Ah, your clothes must be dry." She looked at the clock and Naruto followed her gaze. "Time does pass quickly when you are having fun." Naruto tried to hide the horror that was washing over him in waves. It was already 9:45. Fear pooled in the pit of his stomach and he felt his palms grow sweaty. He had forgotten that it was Thursday and his father would be looking for something to beat. His eyes widened as he leaned against the counter behind him. Mikoto took a step towards him in worry. "Is everything alright, dear?"

Naruto nodded, "I just need to get home." Mikoto tilted her head slightly, "It is getting late, you can stay here, if you'd like. Call your parents on the home phone and ask." Naruto shook his head, "I can't, I'm sorry. I really need to get home. My mother will be worried." _Or dead. _He licked his lips and glanced at the clock again. He could imagine it...His father beating his mother and doing things that should be happening to him and not to his sweet mother. "Your hospitality has been amazing and I thank you for your kindness, but I must be getting home." He turned swiftly and hurried to the front door. The scrapping of a chair against the floor only partially registered in his mind. A hand on his elbow jerking him away from the door surprised him. "It is still raining and you are wearing my clothing, dobe."

Naruto took a deep breath and nodded as he turned to Sasuke. "Right. I'll change." He walked past the other boy and got his clothing out of the dryer. He shut the wash room door before changing quickly into his own clothing, folding Sasuke's neatly upon the washer. Exiting the room, he hurried to the door. Mikoto stood beside the door, smiling. He paused, but continued to the exit. He bowed to her and thanked her again. He went to leave, but was stopped as he was pulled into a hug. He got an odd feeling in his stomach and his eyes stung. He hugged her back and then left, hurrying down the steps. The black car that Sasuke drove was on and the passenger door was open. Naruto saw Sasuke in the driver's seat and he sighed, knowing that he was going to get a ride home whether he liked it or not.

The drive was quiet until they reached Victor and Sasuke did not stop the car. Instead, he kept on driving. "The address." Naruto glanced at Sasuke and bit his lip. Somehow he knew he wasn't getting out of this one either. He didn't understand why he wasn't willing to fight Sasuke about such things at the moment, but he didn't spend much time pondering it. He mumbled his address and received a grunt in reply.

As the sleek car pulled up to the house, Naruto swallowed hard. The upstairs lights were on. He clenched his jaw, knowing what that meant. He took a deep breath and exited the car with a mumbled thank you to the driver. He could have sworn that he heard Sasuke say, "See you at school." Ascending the steps to hell, Naruto opened the door with practiced movements and slipped his shoes off. Walking slowly up the steps to the second floor, he could hear the cries of his mother. Naruto felt sick, knowing that he could have prevented the abuse that she was receiving. Whatever his father was doing to her was meant for him and not his mother. He entered his bedroom quietly and did not close the door as he sat down on the bed. The screams stopped and he heard his parent's door open. He tried to calm his racing heart, to no avail.

Takeshi stormed into the room, livid. Shouts of anger echoed in Naruto's ears and insults pounded into his mind. He sat there with a bowed head, listening to each word that his father threw at him. He had to take it, he could not ignore it like he normally tried. This was his punishment for letting his mother suffer. His mother normally received only verbal abuse if Naruto kept his act together and let his father beat on him. Naruto bit his lip and wished that he could take away his mother's pain. He wanted to be the one being abused. The innocent woman who tried to protect him did not deserve the pain. He wished he had remembered the consequences of being home late on any day besides Wednesday. If he had, his mother would not have endured a beating. Tears started to fall from closed eyes and soft sobs racked his frame as the demon left his room. He buried his face in his pillow in shame and thought desperately, "_What have I done?"_

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**Please review. :) Also, I am still deciding on who should be the principal. I apologize to those who want Tsunade to be the principal, but I already used her as the head doctor at the hospital in a previous chapter. **


	8. What Will Tomorrow Bring?

**Thank you to everyone who voiced their thoughts about who the principal should be. To find out the answer, please continue reading! I appreciated all of the comments and ideas, so thanks! I will talk more about this at the end of this chapter.**  
**Please enjoy! **

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The next morning was normal, except for the guilt that weighed on his heart. Naruto bit his lip as he found no lunch waiting for him on the kitchen counter. He blinked back tears and then took a deep breath. He would have to skip school to watch over his mother today. His blue gaze moved around the room until it rested on the phone sitting on a different counter. He glanced at the stairs before hurrying across the room. Picking the phone up and dialing the school's number, Naruto waited anxiously for it to stop ringing so he could leave a message.

When it finally did, Naruto spoke quietly into the phone, not wanting to awaken the demon upstairs. "Hey gramps, this is Naruto Uzumaki. I can't come to school today, my mother is super sick and my father is away on a business trip. I'm sorry for not getting a parent to call, but I will bring a note from her to school tomorrow. Thanks, Principal Sarutobi!" He placed the phone quietly back on its holder and then left the house. He knew that his father would know if he had not left the house, and so he walked to a nearby park and sat on a swing.

He sat there for about an hour and a half, watching the leaves that rustled above the swing set. He rested his head against the chain and sighed softly. He watched as a few leaves floated towards the ground, their orange color shimmering lightly in the sunlight. The quiet was calming and he allowed himself a gentle smile. Glancing at his watch, Naruto rose from the swing and headed towards home. His father most likely was at work by now, which would make the house a safe place until seven o'clock that night.

Approaching the home, Naruto sighed with relief at the empty driveway. He hurried up the walk and took a deep breath as he opened the front door. Naruto quietly took his shoes off and moved about the house, searching for his mother. As he entered his parent's bedroom, he gasped and then clenched his jaw. His stomach churned at the blood stained bed sheets and the filthy, naked form of his mother stretched across the bed. He bit his lip and tried desperately to hold back guilty tears.

His mother's breathing was shallow and labored; her chest barely moving with each shaken breath. He winced as he saw that her body was coated with various bodily liquids and her skin was darkening with bruises. He slowly approached the bed with shaking legs. Naruto gently touched his mother's still hand and spoke softly, "Mother...Wake up, its me." He smiled sadly as pale green eyes flickered open to meet his own. "N-Naruto?" Her voice was hoarse and cracked as she spoke.

Her eyes asked the unspoken question of what he was doing there. "I am staying home today to take care of you." He gently stroked her hair and then straightened up. "I'll be right back." He took her hand and squeezed it lightly before heading to the bathroom. Running bath water, he made sure it was lukewarm as to not hurt his mother's skin. Returning to the bedroom, he spoke quietly, "Let's get you cleaned up." He carefully picked her up by putting an arm underneath her hamstring and the other around the middle of her back. Carrying her to the bathroom, Naruto gently lowered his mother into the water.

He washed his weak mother with gentle hands and carefully cleaned each cut. When he lifted his mother from the water, the normally clear liquid was a murky red-brown. Carefully, Naruto used a towel to dry the wet skin before he set his mother down on the closed toilet seat. He got out the hidden medical kit and dressed each cut. He then returned the kit and carried his still naked mother to her bedroom. "Thank you..." Naruto shook his head to her whispered thank you. "Don't thank me, Mother." He placed her down in a chair beside the dresser and went to change the sheets. "If you can, try to get dressed. I'll throw these sheets in the washer, get some fresh ones, and get you some water."

As he headed for the door, a trembling hand grasped his. He turned back and tried to smile to reassure her, but it was weak. "I will be right back, I promise." She shook her head, "I know, but please, don't blame yourself for this. You did nothing wrong." Naruto's eyes watered and he turned away, taking his hand out of her grasp. "I can't do that, not when this is my fault. Those beatings were meant for me. You don't deserve this!" His mother smiled sadly. "Don't resign to this fate, please." Naruto tensed and then left the room, sheets bundled against his chest.

He hurriedly went about the motions of taking care of the sheets and getting his mother a glass of water. He quickly returned to the bedroom with a glass and fresh sheets. He allowed himself a very faint smile at the sight of his mother, who was now fully dressed. He handed the glass to her and then went to make the bed. "You don't have to hide your limp with me, Ru." Naruto turned to his mother and nodded, walking towards her. As he advanced, his limp became more prominent.

"Shall I make you some breakfast, Mother? Some eggs and toast?" He received a small nod and he held out his hand. A small, delicate hand slipped into his and he helped his mother down the steps. Naruto went about making a meal while he kept an eye on his mother, who was sitting at the counter on a stool. As he dished up the food, he noticed that he was being stared at. He glanced up and raised one eyebrow. "Who dropped you of the other day?" Naruto swallowed hard and looked down at the counter. He was quiet for a few minutes, trying to think of a reasonable answer. "Uh...A friend."

"I wasn't aware any of your friends drove or owned expensive black cars." Naruto fidgeted under his mother's gaze. The woman was only meek when faced with her husband. Where Naruto was concerned, she was a stubborn, yet gentle force. He bit his lip. "Well, he really isn't my friend, I suppose, but he has suddenly forced his presence on me."

His mother was quiet, but it was clear that she was waiting for him to continue. He smiled slightly to himself. She was always a good listener. "He and I don't get along, in fact, he hates me. We always fight, especially during English, which I normally best him at." As his mother ate, he lost himself in his rant. "The other day, he randomly decides to corner me in the nurses' office. He starts talking to me and then when I collapsed, he dragged me to the hospital. He insisted on me driving me home twice, though the first time I made him stop before he got here. You know how I was late..." He paused, his guilt returning.

"Continue, Ru, what happened?" Naruto sighed, but knew his mother was going to continue to push until he talked about what happened the night before. "He took me to his house! Introduced me to his family and made me stay for dinner. I can't believe he did that, then he drove me home." He gestured with his arms while he talked and he was well aware that his voice was full of emotion.

A light chuckle surprised him and he stared at his mother. It had been a while since he had heard her laugh, even lightly. "I'm not so sure that there is hate between the two of you."  
"What?! The guy calls me dobe, loser, idiot, and knucklehead! He pushes me around!" Naruto retorted, wanting to make his mother understand how frustrating Sasuke was. The brunette woman shook her head and smiled softly, "What is this boy's name?"

Naruto sighed softly, "Sasuke, the jerk's name is Sasuke." Another chuckle left his mother's lips and he raised an eyebrow. He was incredibly confused what was making his mother laugh. She noticed his confusion and shook her head. Naruto sighed slightly, knowing that he wasn't going to get an answer out of her. His mother changed the subject then, much to his relief, and they chatted about school and some of his friends. Naruto did not notice as morning slipped into afternoon, he was far too focused on his mother. Times when he could just sit down and talk with his mother were rare and always well received by both parties. His mother was kind and gentle, the opposite of the demon that he was forced to call father.

When the light started to fade and Naruto's stomach rumbled, he remembered the issue of time and he stood from his seat on the couch. His mother looked at him sadly as he collected the bag that lay beside the couch. "I will be back in an hour, please try to stay safe until then." His mother gave a small nod and then stood as well. Furrowing his brow, Naruto moved forward and opened his mouth to tell her to sit back down, but was stopped when delicate arms wrapped around his frame. He sucked in a breath at the gentle touch and then carefully wrapped his arms around the frail form. When the arms loosened, he pulled away after placing a soft kiss to her forehead. He smiled fondly at the woman before walking to the front door. As he stepped outside, the soft words of his mother followed him. "I love you, Naruto."

He bit his lip and hurried down the steps, hiding his limp as he descended. Guilt weighed him down as he walked to the park and sat beneath a tree. His swing was taken, as the younger children had long ago gotten out of school for the day and were playing at the park. Watching them with sad eyes, Naruto remembered when he had been like them, happy and naïve. They thought that life revolved around the moment, but Naruto knew better than that. Life revolved around everything except the moment and it definitely did not revolve around him. He sighed and turned away from the laughter and happy grins. He ignored the stab of pain he felt as he heard a parent call to their children in loving voice. There had been a time when he had heard parents call for him like that.

Thoughts of Sasuke and his family came to his mind and he clenched his jaw as memories of his own family surfaced. Squeezing his eyes shut tightly, Naruto forced the memories and thoughts away. He wiped his moistening eyes and took deep breaths. He ran his hands through blond locks and then opened his eyes. Staring at darkening sky, Naruto wondered why he had thought of Sasuke's family. He had been with plenty of his friends' families before, but...Naruto's eyes widened as he realized why he had thought of the raven's family instead of his friends' families. _Sasuke's family seemed more like home to me than any one else's. _Sakura's family thought he was too obnoxious, Shikamaru's father was too lazy to care and his mother was terrifying, Choji, well, his parents were odd and never bad much attention to Naruto, and Kiba's mother and sister were absolutely terrifying and Naruto refused to go to Kiba's house. Everyone else's homes were pretty much the same; the parents didn't care too much about Naruto and either ignored him or freaked him out. Sasuke's family, however, was just there. Mikoto was sweet and understanding, Fugaku was silent, but reassuring at the same time, and Itachi seemed as if he would be an awesome older brother with his sarcastic remarks and tough guy demeanor.

Naruto smiled sadly. Itachi reminded him of...He shook his head and stood. Now was not the time to think about the past. It was about time for him to be getting home and he would not be able to forgive himself if he was late again. Today was a Friday and he could only hope that his father had a good day at work. If he could make it through the next day, he would be alright. Sundays were similar to Wednesdays, a normally free time from beatings, though with the way the week had gone, he wasn't sure if the normal pattern would apply or not.

As the house of hell came into view, Naruto licked his lips nervously. The cracker-box car was in the driveway and the lights were on in the kitchen. Shivers went down his spine as the cool fall air brushed against the back of his neck and arms. He glanced down in surprise and then remembered that he had not put on a sweatshirt before he had left. He hurried towards the house, not wanting to be late from 'school'. He walked up the steps and carefully opened the door. Silence created his ears and he swallowed hard as he slipped his shoes off. Setting his bag on the ground beside his now discarded shoes, Naruto walked quietly to the kitchen where he spotted his mother cooking. He studied her for a moment, noticing that she looked like she had been crying. He glanced towards to the couch to find his father absorbed in the television.

Moving away, Naruto went up to his room and sat down on his bed. He stared at his closed door and waited. The front door opened and shut. A car door slammed shut and the familiar rumble of his father's car began. The headlights shone through his window and changed directions as the car pulled out of the driveway and went down the road. Naruto let out a sigh of relief before he hurried down the steps and took his mother into his arms. She cried quietly into his shirt as he held her. "Did he only yell?" A weak nod against his shoulder made him feel a bit relieved. He comforted his mother and sent her off to bed after she ate. He declined a meal, knowing that he would not be able to stomach it later.

Naruto went back to his room and sat on his bed again, staring at the door. He did not lock it, for the lock was still broken from the last time. He had tried in vain to slow his father down with the piece of metal, but it had only infuriated the man more. Naruto did not lay down to sleep, for he knew that he would not be able to sleep, knowing that the demon was going to return. He waited for three hours that felt like an eternity. He took a deep breath as headlights shone into his room once more and the rumble of the tiny car entered his ears. He listened as the demon stumbled from his car, into the house, and up the steps. The door was thrust open and a staggering Takashi entered the room. Naruto lifted his head slightly, but kept his eyes averted. The door was shut behind the drunk man and then he advanced.

Naruto tried to keep himself from shaking as the man reached for him. His shudder apparently offended Takashi and the yelling began. Naruto tried to block the harsh words out, but found that he could not. When Takashi grew tired of yelling at the blond, the drunk man stumbled from the room and disappeared into his own bedroom. Naruto watched numbly as the man collapsed on the bed beside his slumbering wife. The blond slowly laid his head down on a pillow and closed his eyes. He found it hard to fall asleep and when he finally did, he dreamed of nothing but pain. His only thought before his mind slipped into the dream state was, _What will tomorrow bring? _

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**Chapter Eight was interesting for me to write, and I hope it was interesting for you to read. Please review! Now, for those who wanted Kakashi, Tsunade, and etc. as the principal, I'm sorry, but I already used those characters as teachers and doctors. I chose Sarutobi (Old Man Hokage) as the principal because I thought he should make an appearance in the story. If anyone has any ideas for certain characters that appear in the manga/anime and have yet to appear in my story, please send me a PM or review! I love ideas! :) **


	9. I Am Content To Protect

**Voila! Chapter Nine has arrived. I like this chapter, mostly because I'm excited to write the next chapter. :) Chapter Ten should be a bit special... ^_^ **

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_Eyelids flickered and then opened to reveal blue orbs. The small blond head rose slowly and the child glanced around the room as his mind came back to him. "You awake, kid?" Blue eyes found the source of the voice and took in the white spiked hair and odd dressing style. He tried to speak, but his dry, cracked throat refused to utter a syllable. Fear filled the child's eyes and he sat up quickly, only to fall back with a hoarse cry of pain. "Careful, you aren't healed quite yet. Want some ice?" The child studied the man, uncertain, but took the offered ice to wet his dry throat._

_Once his throat was moist, the blond boy whimpered, "W-Where's my momma 'n daddy?" The man's eyes grew saddened and the boy's own filled with tears. "I'm sorry, kid, but...they didn't make it." The child shook his head and looked desperately into the man's eyes for any signs of a lie. "No, that...No! You're lying!" Finding no deceit, the child covered his face and started to sob, the small frame shaking with each shaken breath. _

Naruto's eyes opened and he sighed softly. He hated that memory, more than the memories of abuse. Finding out his parents were dead was that worst moment of his life. He had been so excited the day of the accident; his parents were taking him out for his birthday. It was a special occasion and Naruto had waited all year to go to his favorite restarunt. They had opened a new ramen stand called Ichiraku's, and as his mother rarely let him eat the unhealthy stuff, today was extra special. Naruto rubbed his arms, shivering. If only...He shook his head. Thinking about the past with guilt never solved anything.

With another sigh, Naruto slipped off his bed and fished out a fresh set of clothing for the day. It was a Saturday and they were always the longest days, full of a quiet, withdrawn father who never raised his voice or lifted a hand to strike, that is, until nightfall. The man was always angry after the hangover faded away. Saturday nights meant bruises and pain, and Naruto was prepared for that. He could go away during the day, keep his distance from the home, but once the sun started to set, he had to return home to face the demon.

Going into the bathroom and preparing for the day, Naruto was pleased to see most of the wounds were healing nicely, though the surgery site looked a bit swollen. He touched it and bit his lip to hold back a yelp. It was tender and the skin was an angry red. He knew that was the starting signs of an infection, but after treating his mother's wounds yesterday, they had run out of their hidden supply of antibacterial cream and peroxide. _Guess it is time to go to the store, then. _Naruto straightened the fresh shirt and sweatshirt that he had pulled over his head and left the bathroom. He hid his limp and left the house quietly, with his bag slung over his shoulder.

The sun shone through his blond hair and he smiled slightly as the cool fall breeze ruffled his golden locks. Early risers were moving about and Naruto waved to them as he passed. He passed the park and smiled at the children who were laughing as they played. Naruto put his hands in his pockets as he neared the store a while later. He entered the warm building with a smile and nodded to the cashier. He went to the medicine area and sighed softly. The antibacterial cream was a bit more than the peroxide, but the two together cost more than he had.

Naruto chewed on the inside of his lip and tried to decide which one to buy. Peroxide would take out the infection, but would cause the wound to take longer to heal. On the other hand, there was no guarantee that the cream would take care of the infection. _Which one to get, which one to get..._ He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did realize there was someone standing directly behind him until a gruff voice sounded in his ear. "Dobe, just take what you are going to buy off the shelf and stop staring at it like it is a life or death situation."

Stiffening, Naruto swallowed hard and then glanced behind him. Why was he here, of all places? Naruto covered his surprise with a glare before turning back to the shelf. "Shut up, teme!" He continued to stare at the items in question. "I need to make sure I get the right one. Peroxide or antibacterial cream, which to get, which to get..." He muttered, rubbing his chin slightly.

"Get both of them then, idiot." Naruto ignored the raven until an arm appeared in his perferial vision. He flinched slightly and then moved to the side. He glanced behind him and realized that it was Sasuke's arm reaching past him towards the shelf. He swallowed hard before snatching up a tube of antibacterial cream and hurrying towards the register at the front of the store. He quickly paid for the cream, emptying out his worn frog coin pouch in the process.

Leaving the store, Naruto sighed. He knew he had visibly flinched when Sasuke's arm had come into his view. He shuddered slightly. An arm coming from nowhere and covering his mouth to silence his cries had been a reoccurring action in a previous foster home. He clutched the cream in his hand and hurried down the sidewalk. "Dobe."

The insult made him stop in his tracks and turn around slightly. He raised an eyebrow at the sight before him. Sasuke Uchiha was standing ten feet away with an outstretched arm, offering a plastic bag. Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "Take it. I'm not going to stand here all day." Hesitating, Naruto moved forward and slowly took the bag from the raven. Tan fingers brushed against pale ones, causing a small shiver to go up Naruto's arm. He licked his lips nervously as he looked inside the bag. His eyes widened at the bottle of peroxide that rested within the plastic. He glanced at Sasuke with a very faint and fake smile. "Uh...Thanks."

He turned to move away, but pale fingers gripped his sweatshirt sleeve, causing him to pause and look back. "Why do you need peroxide and antibacterial cream?" Sasuke questioned quietly.

Naruto took a moment to answer, wanting to find something that would convince the raven that he was not lying. "My mom sent me out to buy some; we're out of them at the house, and well, with me being so clumsy, she wanted to make sure we were well stocked with stuff to treat my wounds." He chuckled softly, easily slipping behind his protective mask.

Surprisingly, Sasuke let go and walked away without a word. Naruto did the same, but he let out a sigh of relief as he hurried down the sidewalk. He wondered why the teme would buy him the peroxide. The other boy was always so confusing to him. He always contradicted himself, then again, most people did. Naruto bit his lip and pulled his hood up. He did not understand what was going on. His rival was suddenly showing odd interest in him, and it was confusing him a great deal.

There was a part of him that hoped it was the raven was being paid to get close to him and when he failed, the odd occurrences would end, but there was also a part of him that hoped for the opposite. He liked the attention from Sasuke and he wasn't sure why. Naruto looked down at the bag hanging from his hand. What was the raven aiming for? Fake friendship to get paid? Somehow, that scenario was becoming less and less likely. There had been many unnecessary things that the raven had done. Taking him to the hospital, cornering him in the bathroom, and even introducing him to his family.

Naruto shook these thoughts from his mind as he approached the house. He stuffed the peroxide and cream into his bag, glad that there were only a few schoolbooks inside. He smiled at the neighbors and had a short conversation with the woman that lived next door about the weather and the quickly approaching Halloween. He glanced at the driveway before entering the house, noticing that the demon's car was parked in its spot.

The door shut behind him slowly and he slid his shoes off quickly. He limped up the steps and shut his bedroom door quietly. Placing his book bag on the bed, he took off his sweatshirt and placed the peroxide and cream into the front pocket, glad that it was big enough to fit both of them. He carefully folded the sweatshirt and placed it in his dresser. There he hoped his father would not find the purchases. With his father home, it was too dangerous to try to hide them in the bathroom with the rest of the medicine kit. He sat down on his bed and started on his homework. There was time to do something productive before his father went into a rage, or so he hoped. Getting his homework done and keeping acceptable grades was one way of keeping his father out his life at school. Life in hell and life at school were two completely different things and he wanted to keep it that way.

Naruto lost himself in the homework, desperately trying to understand the math that Yamato-sensei had sent home with him. When he was finished hurting his brain with that, he got out a book that he had borrowed from the school library. He smiled softly as he flipped through the worn pages until he got to his marked spot. The bedroom around him faded and he became absorbed in the world of the book. He forgot about the hell that he was in, the confusing emotions that he was experiencing about a certain rival, and about the rival all together. He was the main character in the book and that world was his world.

However, that fantasy faded as soon as a thud resounded throughout the house, jerking him from the world the book had created. With speed he rarely possessed, Naruto put the book in the bag and slide the entire thing under his bed. Sitting up straight on his bed from the slouched position he had relaxed into, Naruto waited. He began his customary habit of counting as Takashi came up the steps towards his room. He tried to bury the fear that threatened to break through his mask as the door opened. He tried his best to block out the pain, the angry words, and the humiliation.

This was a routine. This was the way it was supposed to be. Naruto was a punching bag. This was what he deserved. His mother would not be hurt again. He was the one that needed to be hurt, not his sweet, innocent mother. His mother was an entity, a being that belonged in this world; he was not. Here in this hell, he was only a possession that had no rights. Only outside of the hell did he have anything beyond the ability to protect his mother. Such thoughts were the only thing that kept him going through the pain. As the pain grew greater, flashes of his mother's face went through his mind. He gritted his teeth against the pain, trying desperately not to cry out. No matter how weak he felt, he had to make it through. If he was gone, there was no one to protect his mother from the demon.

When the demon finally left him, he laid there in his newly bruised state and stared at the white ceiling. A gentle smile came to his lips. He had done it again. He had protected his mother. Tonight, she was safe. She would not be hurt and her wounds could heal peacefully. His purpose was once again fulfilled. As he fell asleep with the smile still on his lips, Naruto thought, _I am content to protect._

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**Please Review! I thoroughly appreciate any form of a review, whether it be negative or positive. Oh, if any one has any ideas about what will happen next chapter, say something in your review. ;) I'd like to hear the thoughts of ya'll about what excitement the tenth chapter might hold. **


	10. Do Not Connect The Dots

**Presenting...Concrete Boy, Chapter 10! Please enjoy. ;) **

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Weeks passed, much the same. Wounds healed, new ones were made, and Naruto lived day in and day out, in pain. His mother was not beaten again, as Naruto was extremely vigilant. He came home on time, and even early if he could. He made sure to keep his father's attention on him and not the woman of the house. He was careful not to be late for school and had kept away from his rival as much as possible, though he did not see much of the Uchiha.

The bruises that his father left on him were standard, keeping below his neck. Bruising on the face happened rarely and Naruto was glad for that. Now, as he walked towards school on a Wednesday six weeks later, Naruto did not have to hide his face with a hood, and instead wore a hat to keep his ears warm from the frigid air. He hid his limp with little trouble and no longer felt a stabbing pain in his chest. Naruto allowed himself a faint smile as he walked down the sidewalk. As he passed Victor, he found his eyes searching for a familiar black vehicle. When he did not see it, he let out a sigh of relief. Even though Sasuke had not shown up to pick him up since that day six weeks ago, Naruto kept his guard up and kept an eye out for the sleek car.

Glancing at the dreary sky with a shiver, Naruto shoved cold hands into his sweatshirt pocket. The Uchiha had not even spared him a glance since that day at the store. The other boy had been avoiding him like the plague and it was beginning to bother him. Naruto sighed. Who was he kidding? He missed the attention he got from the ice prick. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but he knew it was the truth. Sasuke was a rival, but a valued one. Naruto shook his head with a slightly amused smirk on his lips. The idea of Naruto Uzumaki missing Sasuke Uchiha and valuing him was laughable, and yet, it rang true in his mind. Thankfully, the school came into view and distracted him from his thoughts of the raven. He hurried to the gates and waved at Iruka-sensei, a brilliant grin stretching his features.

He settled into a chair and opened his book to page 340, disappearing momentarily into the world inside the words. Once other students started to file in, Naruto returned to the present world and immersed himself into conversation with Kiba, who was complaining about his older sister. Naruto felt eyes on him, but when he turned to glare at the source of the gaze, the owner of the onyx eyes had burrowed his nose in a notebook. Naruto narrowed his eyes and then turned back to his friend. The Uchiha may have avoided him for six weeks, but he had been staring at him more frequently and with increasing intensity. It was unnerving and Naruto's friends were starting to take notice of the raven's creepy staring.

Kiba insisted to make it the topic of the lunch table, much to Naruto's chagrin. Unfortunately for his sanity, Lee, Sakura, TenTen, and Ino jumped on the 'Sasuke's stalking Naruto' bandwagon. Naruto tried desperately to get Shikamaru or Choji to help him, but the lazy pineapple was busy trying to take a nap and Choji was too absorbed in his chips to care. Things continued in much the same manner till the end of school. Sasuke stared at him through each class they shared, which was, depressingly enough, most of them. He was attacked in the hallway by his circle of friends and pestered once again about Sasuke and his stalking. Only when last period ended did they stop trying to get information about any changes between the two of them.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief as he exited the school building. He had declined an invitation to go to an arcade with his friends, not wanting to be late getting home. He knew that Shikamaru could sense something was up, as he had avoided hanging out with them after school lately. _Sometimes that guy is so smart, it scares me. _Running a hand through his golden hair, Naruto slipped through the gates and went on his way down the sidewalk. He had not been late in six weeks and the beatings were easier to deal with now that his mind was at peace about his mother. Pain was nothing, in the long run, if it protected her. She was the most important thing in his life and if he had to suffer to keep her safe, he would.

Putting his hat on his head, covering his chilled ears, Naruto concentrated on making his way home. He smiled at the old woman who walked past him and greeted her kindly, though there was a sad tinge behind her returned smile. It was always that way and it confused him. It was almost as if she knew what he was hiding. He shook his head slightly once he was past her; there was no way she could know. As he approached hell, Naruto took a deep breath and paused for a moment. Today was Friday, and though it had started out well, he had a gut feeling that today...today something terrible would happen. He swallowed hard and advanced up the sidewalk, quickly ascending the front steps. He glanced at his neighbors' houses and noticed that no one was home. _Apparently today is the day to go out. _He thought, thinking back to school where he had overheard many students talking about going out after school, including his own friends.

Naruto wondered why things were different today while he limped up the staircase and entered his room. His gaze fell on his calendar as he shut the door of his bedroom. Realization hit him and he groaned softly. It was Thanksgiving this weekend; that explained everyone wanting to go out after school. The parents were doing last-minute shopping and the children were preparing for the long weekend with their family by messing around with their friends.

He slumped against his door with a sigh. Why hadn't someone mentioned it? Normally, Sakura and Ino couldn't shut up about all the baking that needed to be done and Kiba would be complaining about his extended family coming over. Naruto shut his eyes sadly, remembering the few precious Thanksgivings he had with friendly families. It had been a very long time since he had an actual Thanksgiving dinner with laughter and a happy family gathering. Takeshi drank more on holidays and would not let his wife splurge on special meals, so any holidays or special days were ignored in the Nakamura household. Naruto settled on the ground and pulled his knees against his chest, wrapping his arms around them. He shut his eyes and tried to calm his racing heart. More drinking meant an angrier Takeshi. Holidays were a stressful time at work for the man and that meant he was going to be an enraged demon. He bit his lip and took deep breaths, knowing that tonight was going to be horrible. He shuddered as he remembered what happened on the last major holiday.

A knock at the front door snapped him out of his thoughts and he bolted upright, thinking for a moment that his father was home. When the knock came again, Naruto relaxed and hurried out of his room, heading downstairs. His father, if he needed to knock, only knocked once and if the door was not answered quickly, all hell broke loose. As he approached the door, Naruto hide his limp. Opening the door, Naruto grinned before he took in who was standing on the step, "Hel..." He stopped before he got the entire greeting out and an eyebrow rose as he took in raven hair and onyx eyes. "Wha...? Sasuke, what are you doing here?" Naruto said, trying not to appear nervous at the sight of the Uchiha. It was almost time for his father to come home and if the man saw someone talking with Naruto, it would put him in a worse mood than he already was going to be in.

"Looking for you." Naruto stared at the raven incredulously. "Let me in, dobe." Naruto shook his head, "I'm sorry, I can't. You should go home, Sasuke. It's almost Thanksgiving." There was a long, uncomfortable pause and Naruto tried to shut the door, but Sasuke put his foot in the way. "That's why I'm here, usurantonkachi." The sentence caused him to pause for a moment, but he decided to focus on the insult. Naruto to bristle inwardly, but he only rolled his eyes and kicked at Sasuke's foot, but the raven did not remove the appendage. "I don't care, just get out of here!" He replied, wanting the Uchiha to leave before his father came home or his mother realized there was someone at the front door.

"Naruto, dear, who is at the door?" Naruto groaned, _too late._ His mother came out of the kitchen and then smiled sweetly at the raven. Naruto knew his mother was not going to let Sasuke go unless the boy at least introduced himself, so he opened the door and stood aside, motioning for Sasuke to enter. The raven stepped swiftly inside the enclosure and stared at Naruto with a blank expression. "Mother, this is Sasuke."

The woman's eyebrows raised and she smiled knowingly. "Well, hello, Sasuke. You can call me Mika." Sasuke inclined his head politely, flicking his eyes towards the brown-haired woman, who was studying him. He returned his gaze to Naruto, who swallowed hard. Mika noticed Naruto's tense behavior and spoke as if offering a simple piece of information, "Your father called, he will be late for dinner. Go ahead and take Sasuke up to your room."

Naruto felt a weight lift from his shoulders at his mother's words and he smiled brightly. "You heard my mother, come on, I'll show you the grand and glorious realm of Naruto Uzumaki himself." He grabbed Sasuke by the wrist and dragged the raven up the steps. He opened his door with a flourish and then sat on his bed after shutting the door behind them. Sasuke looked around the room and onyx eyes settled for a moment on a black trash bag in the corner. Naruto saw this, but ignored it, hoping to keep the Uchiha's attention away from it.

"So...Why exactly were you looking for me?" He questioned, swinging his legs slightly. Sasuke stared at him for a long moment before replying. "My mother insisted that I invite you and your parents over for dinner tomorrow." Naruto paled considerably and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, can't. My father likes to keep family close around the holiday times. Tell your mom thank you for me." He smiled faintly.

Wanting to change the subject quickly, Naruto got to his feet, "I'll be right back. Nature is calling!" He laughed at the eye roll he received and he exited the room, hurrying into the bathroom. He shut the door and sighed. The idea of taking his father to the Uchiha's home was terrifying. The man acted welcoming and kind around strangers, but Naruto did not want any one meeting the man unless they had to. The less they knew about his family, the better. The call of nature reminded him that he actually had to use the bathroom. After he finished his business, Naruto opened the door slowly, not wanting to return to his room. He knew the raven would have questions for him.

After taking a moment to mentally prepare himself, he returned to his bedroom. Naruto opened the door to find Sasuke sitting on his bed with a serious expression on his face. Naruto wondered why the Uchiha was staring at him with raging emotions swirling in his eyes. Then he lowered his cerulean gaze to the pale hands and his heart dropped. There clutched in Sasuke's hands was a torn and bloody shirt. At the boy's feet sat the black trash bag that should have been in the corner of his room. His gut churned and his eyes widened as he searched the other boy's face. What was he going to do? Had he realized what was going on? He desperately pleaded in his mind and stared back at the raven. _Do not connect the dots. _

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** Voila! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are waiting for the next. :) Please review. I thank you all again for your continued support. **


	11. I'm Screwed

**Chapter 11 has been released! ^_^ Please enjoy! **

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"Naruto, tell me what is going on." Sasuke's grip on the shirt tightened, his knuckles growing increasingly paler. The quiet words brought Naruto out of his frantic state of shock. He shook his head and lied through his teeth, "No. It is none of your business. Besides, that shirt was from the last time I got beat up by those idiotic jocks." A harsh bark of a laugh left the raven's mouth and it was Sasuke's turn to shake his head. "You are a terrible liar. You were wearing this shirt yesterday, though it was in one piece and far cleaner."

Naruto swallowed hard, trying to force the lump in his throat back down. "What are you, a stalker? Man, I didn't think you'd sink that low. Then again, here you are, digging through my personal belongings. Ever heard of how 'curiosity killed the cat', Sasuke? And besides, I got beat up yesterday. Cornered in the bathroom...again..." He slipped behind his mask, acting slightly sheepish, now over the initial shock of finding the raven with his bloody t-shirt.

Sasuke stood and dumped the contents of the bag on the ground. Article after article of torn and stained clothing fell to the carpet. "The jocks like to mark their victims with bruises on the face. They don't take off clothing, and they do not rip stitches out." Onyx eyes flashed dangerously as Sasuke stepped over the pile and advanced on Naruto, who rapidly backed towards the door.

"S-sasuke?" He stuttered out as his back hit the door. "Y-You alright?" He laughed nervously, "Really, it was the jocks. They must have changed their tactics since they last flushed your head down the toilet and threw you into the dumpster." Sasuke did not stop moving until he was inches away from Naruto. "Liar. I'm surprised your pants are flaming yet. Keep it up and you'll burn the house down." Naruto raised a nervous eyebrow, unsure if Sasuke had just cracked a joke or was being completely serious.

"I know something is going on. The more you lie, the more it tells me that something is wrong." Sasuke took a deep breath and then continued, "Tell me." Naruto found himself looking into almost pleading onyx pools. He bit his lip and stood there for a moment, staring into Sasuke's eyes. He wanted to believe in the raven, for some reason, but he could not bring himself to do anything about it. He looked down and studied the carpet while wagering a war within.

He glanced back into the unwavering dark orbs and opened his mouth to reply. However, an all too familiar noise interrupted him. His eyes widened and his gaze snapped to the window. Listening intently, Naruto could make out the sound of Takeshi's cracker-box car. He visibly tensed and then looked back to Sasuke with frightened eyes, not considering that his reaction was all that Sasuke needed to solidify his theories. "You need to leave, Sasuke."

"No, I think I need to stay," came the quiet reply. Naruto shook his head and hurried towards his window, glancing out to find that his father's car was almost at the house. "Sasuke, go! I want you to run downstairs and out the back door, now!" Naruto paused as the car pulled into the driveway, "Please!" He raised his voice in a desperate plea. Turning back to the Uchiha, Naruto let his guard drop completely as his eyes shone with pure fear. He was terrified at what the demon would do to not only his mother and himself, but to Sasuke, if he found out there was someone else in the home.

The raven simply shook his head and crossed his arms in a silent reply to Naruto's pleading. Naruto hurried forward, opening his door. He attempted to pull Sasuke out of his room, to no avail. His shaking limbs were weak against the tree that was Sasuke at the moment. Naruto heard a car door slam and he broke into a cold sweat. There was nothing he could do now, except..."Sasuke, hide behind my dresser." He pushed the other boy, who reluctantly consented to being shoved in the corner between the wall and the dresser, which thankfully hid him from immediate view.

Footsteps approached the door, which opened and closed softly. The scattering sound below meant that shoes had been discarded and boots were put on. The heavy footsteps entered the kitchen and then came the long, dreadful pause. Naruto could envision his father sitting down and watching his mother as she greeted him softly. He would start complaining about something another and then decide that his wife was doing something wrong. The yelling began and Naruto shut his door with a wince. He quickly gathered the discarded clothing and placed it within black plastic before shoving the trash bag beneath his bed. He glanced at Sasuke worriedly as he settled on his bed. He could feel the raven's eyes on him as he shut his own and started counting. He momentarily forgot Sasuke was in the room and went into his world where he was safe from demons.

The door banged open, the sound echoing throughout the small room. Naruto opened his eyes as the shouting started up again. The man was screaming about an extra pair of shoes and his rules. Naruto remembered then Sasuke's shoes were sitting beside the front door. He raised his gaze to the hulking figure above him and awaited his punishment. He saw his father's hand rise to strike, but watched in shock as a pale arm grasped the thick wrist.

"Please refrain yourself from striking your son, Mr. Nakamura." Sasuke's tone was low and deadly, but his overall expression was calm. Takeshi laughed, "What I do is nothing of your concern. I can do whatever I want to him. Get out of my house before I decide to strike you as well." Naruto watched the exchange with horribly concealed distress.

"It is in your best interests to contain your fists and your anger. Striking me or any resident of this household would be a very bad plan." The grip on the man's wrist tightened considerably and Naruto saw a flash of pain cross Takeshi's face. Naruto started to feel sick to his stomach and he rose from his bed. He moved between the raven and his father, his cerulean eyes blank as he stared into flaming onyx. "Leave it be, Sasuke. This is a family affair and none of your business." His voice was quiet and lacking in emotion. There was a hesitation before Sasuke's eyes reflected confusion and surprise as well as anger. Naruto reached up and placed a steady hand on Sasuke's arm. "Go and please, keep yourself out of this family's business. You should keep your opinions to yourself." The tight grip on his father's wrist loosened until the raven's hand fell limply to his side.

"You heard him, get out," came the gruff reply from Takeshi. Naruto continued to stare at Sasuke with a blank expression. Naruto watched as Sasuke looked between the two and then opened his mouth to say something, but decided against and then ran away. Thudding footsteps and a slamming front door announced Sasuke's departure. Naruto gritted his teeth and tried to erase the confused and almost hurt look in the raven's eyes.

A rough hand gripping his shoulder caused an involuntary shudder to cascade down his spine. "That was actually smart of you, boy. Though, if you think that got you out of your punishment for having one of your 'friends' over, well, you are sadly mistaken." Naruto took a deep breath and let himself be turned to face the man. He looked meekly up at the smirking man and watched numbly as a hand raised, this time to connect with his jaw. He fell against the side of the bed, wincing as his back smashed against the wooden frame. Naruto slid to the floor and kept his gaze trained submissively on the carpet. Muffled cries slipped past his lips as a steel boot connected with his side multiple times. He finally let out a scream as the demon slammed his foot down into his left hip.

The harsh laughter of the demon echoed off the walls. Naruto whimpered and he raised his eyes to meet the raging ones above him. "Get up." Naruto scrambled to his feet, but faltered slightly as pain shot through his body. "I said get up!" Naruto winced at the yell as he stood up. "Are you going to defy me again?" Naruto shook his head rapidly, "No, sir." This brought a smirk to the man's lips and Naruto's stomach churned. "Good...Now, lay down on the bed like a good boy."

Shaking slightly, Naruto settled on the bed and swallowed hard as the man towered above him with a malicious grin on his face. A hand came down and pressed against Naruto's throbbing hip, causing him to let out a whimper. The pressure increased until Naruto was screaming. Tears filled his eyes until rivers ran down his cheeks. His mind went blank and all he could do was feel the agonizing pain. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to keep himself from sobbing. The demon would release the pressure for a moment only to apply it again with more force. Each time he would hold it there, digging his fingers into Naruto's skin through the jeans.

Naruto screamed until his throat was raw and his body felt like it was on fire. The demon above him laughed and then picked the sobbing Naruto up by the collar. Naruto felt his body be propelled towards his dresser and let out a broken shout as he landed with his shoulder against the corner of the wood. He felt a hand grip his hair and let out a loud whimper as he was lifted into a sitting position by the hand gripping his hair. "Can you defy me?" The demon questioned as he pulled Naruto's head back, forcing the blond to look at him. Naruto weakly croaked, "N-No."

His hair was yanked back harshly, causing him to cry out. "No, what?" The demon demanded, growling. "No, sir." The hand entangled in his hair abruptly let go and Naruto fell to the floor. "Good boy. Reflect on your disobedience and try to get it through your thick skull." Naruto barely registered the mocking laughter and the diminishing presence of the demon. He vaguely wondered why and how he was still breathing. _I wonder if I'll die this time_. He slipped into unconsciousness with that thought on his mind.

* * *

_"Can we watch the stars, big brother?" The blond looked down at the small, black-haired child and smiled, nodding, "Of course, little sister." The girl giggled and grabbed his hand as she skipped across the small, dingy room to the bed. They climbed on the creaking mattress together and the blond raised the blinds covering the dirty window. Clouds covered the moon, causing the stars to twinkle brighter. The girl's mouth opened in amazement as she gazed up at the black, twinkling sky. "Isn't it beautiful, brother?" The blond let go of her hand to wrap a loving arm around the frail shoulders and gently pull her against his larger frame. "It most definitely is, Mei." _

"...Mei." Naruto's eyes flickered open and he let out a soft moan, but regretted it when his throat rebelled with an angry flare of pain. The memories of the earlier beating reminded him that his body ached, throbbed, and burned. A slight pressure on his shoulder caused his blurry eyes to try to peer through the darkness and locate the source of said weight. Naruto soon realized that there was a person leaning over him with their hand on his shoulder. Confusion and fear set in and he stared at the blurry, shadowed figure, trying desperately to figure out who it was.

The answer came to him when the figure spoke, "Dobe, get up." Naruto's eyes widened. He wanted to reply, but knew that his throat would not allow it. He tried to sit up, but let out a raspy whimper as pain shot through his body. Lying back down, Naruto took a deep breath and tried to ignore the pain that the motion caused.

Slightly rough, but gentle in their own right, Sasuke's hands slipped beneath his back and legs. Naruto's face was pressed against Sasuke's chest, as he was lifted bridal style. Sasuke's fingers squeezed his left leg, causing him to whimper softly. He wanted to fight against the boy, but was too weak to do anything more than glare at him. Naruto found himself being carried out of his room and down the stairs. With each step Sasuke took, Naruto experienced pain, but he did nothing more than groan in response.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, the black expanse at the edges of his conscious mind was threatening to swallow him. He heard his mother's voice, telling Sasuke to take him away, and felt her gentle hand caress his face. He wanted to call out to her, to tell her that he needed to stay. He wanted to stand up and tell Sasuke to go away, but he could do nothing more than lay there in the raven's arms. _Mother, don't tell him take me away from you. Please!_ Whispered words of 'I love you' were said into his ear before something warm was placed over him and a pale light washed over his tan skin. The darkness started to take over as Sasuke lowered him gently into the passenger seat of his car and drove away from the house of hell. His worries about his mother faded as his mind faded into the black abyss.

When he awoke again, he was greeted with the golden light from the rising sun. He blinked his eyes rapidly to adjust them and then looked around at his surroundings. The blue comforter covering him was warm and soft. The walls were a light tan and were not decorated, except for the Uchiha crest above the headboard of the bed. There was one window on the far side of the room with a blue curtain that was drawn aside. He yawned and sat up very slowly, glad that his muscles were actually working this time.

Naruto rubbed his neck and then took a sip of water from the glass sitting on the nightstand. He sighed softly as the cool water soothed his burning throat. He stared at the door and gritted his teeth. He wanted to get back to his mother, but knew that he was not going to get past Sasuke or any other Uchiha. With another sigh, Naruto eased out from the covers and rested his feet on the floor. His hip felt strange, but he ignored it as he stood. When he took the first step towards the door, Naruto tried to hide his limp, but found that his leg was not moving the way he wanted it to. Normally, he was able to hide the limp by forcing his hip to move in an almost correct way, but now, it was impossible to do even that.

He bit back a cry of pain and proceeded to limp to the door. He slipped out of the room and carefully limped down the steps, following the smell of food. His stomach growled, reminding him that his last meal had been at lunch the day before. As Naruto moved into the kitchen, he hoped that no one would say anything about the obvious limp. Mikoto gave him a worried glance, but continued with her cooking. Sasuke looked up and concern filled his eyes for a moment. The raven opened his mouth to say something, but Itachi beat him to it, "Say, blondie, why are you limping? You certainly did not have that the last time."

Naruto tensed slightly and raked his brain for a lie. The best lies were passed on truth, so he smiled and told a white lie. "I always have had this limp, I just tend to hide it. Today, my hip is bugging me, so I can't hide the limp as well." He smiled and settled into a chair beside Sasuke. He glanced at the raven and saw a flash of anger go through Sasuke's eyes before the other boy stared at his glass of milk.

"Why do you hide it?" Itachi inquired, ignoring the perturbed look his mother was giving him over Naruto's shoulder. "I have my reasons." Naruto muttered. Thankfully, Mikoto arrived at the table with breakfast and served the food, effectively shutting Itachi's mouth. The meal was shared in companionable silence, which Naruto greatly appreciated. He did not want to engage in any form of small talk with the Uchiha family, in fear that someone, like Itachi, would dig.

He devoured two plates of food, thanks to Mikoto, who insisted he needed seconds. He gratefully helped her clear the table and clean the dishes, again thankful for the companionable silence. Once they were done, Naruto glanced at the clock and then gave Mikoto a hug. "I really should be getting home. Thank you for your kindness."

"You aren't staying for Thanksgiving, dear? Sasuke told me to expect another place at the table." Mikoto replied, her expression saddening. Naruto bit his lip, feeling slightly guilty. "He is staying, Mother. Don't let him tell you otherwise. His mother specifically ordered me to make sure he stays here and doesn't go home to be alone on Thanksgiving, as she is away on a trip with his father." Sasuke replied, coming up behind Naruto. Turning to him, Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Oh, dear me. You are most definitely staying here then. No arguing! I am always happy to have another spot at the table." Mikoto grinned and gave Naruto a gentle hug before leaving the kitchen, humming softly. Naruto glared at Sasuke and brushed past him, going upstairs into the raven's room. The other boy followed him and shut the door behind him. "Don't be such an idiot. Your mother told me to take you away, and I followed her request."

"Oh, so now, you're not only a stalker, but you're close to my mother?" Naruto growled as he sat down on the bed. "Why won't you just stay out of my life, teme?" Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, awaiting an answer.

"I fail to see how this matters, but your mother pulled me aside yesterday before I left and talked to me. She told me very specifically not to stay out of your life, and as I had no plans to stay away, I obliged." Sasuke raised an eyebrow slightly."Okay, so you aren't going to stay away. Fine. Just stay out of my house and leave my family life alone." Naruto replied, his voice growing incredibly serious. He did not want any one else finding out about the treatment he got at home, and on a bit of a side note, he didn't want Sasuke getting hurt. With the expression on the raven's face, however, Naruto had a sinking feeling that Sasuke wasn't going to do anything that Naruto wanted him to.

"Not going to happen, dobe. Why don't you want people to know? Things would get better." At this, Naruto let out a quiet chuckle. "You really think that, Sasuke? Wow, how naïve. Things will only get worse. The harder someone pushes, the more solid the evidence that nothing is wrong." He gave a fake smile before looking down at the carpet.

"Fine, forget it." Sasuke growled, rolling his eyes. He took a deep breath and then spoke again, "Come on, let's find something to do. I'm sure Itachi would love to beat the crap out of you if we played video games." Naruto glared at Sasuke and then sighed, nodding slightly. "Alright, let's go play. I warn you, though, I am a master of video games!" He smiled, sliding behind his safety mask with ease. _I'm screwed. _

* * *

**Please read and review. :) Thank you to all of those who have supported this story, it keeps me going! **


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